DUI arrests increase threefold after rapid drug test introduction

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Following the introduction of rapid saliva tests for detecting drug residues, 4,725 drug-related DUI (driving under the influence) cases have been referred to prosecutors from January to April this year -- three times the number recorded during the same period last year, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Wednesday.

Of those cases, 4,633, or 98 percent, were uncovered during routine traffic stops, helping prevent potential accidents that could have resulted in injuries or deaths, the CIB said in a statement.

Among the cases, 3,119 involved methamphetamine, accounting for 70.06 percent of the total, followed by 974 involving ketamine (21.88 percent), 745 involving etomidate (16.73 percent), and 519 involving opioids such as heroin (11.64 percent), according to the bureau.

Based on the statistics, the National Police Agency launched several targeted operations against the drugs, leading to the arrest of 17,022 suspects between January and April, up 4,102 cases, or 31.75 percent, from a year earlier, the CIB said.

Among those arrests, 5,364 were related to etomidate, an increase of 1,971 cases, or 58.09 percent, year-on-year.

The CIB said etomidate acts rapidly and can impair consciousness while causing myoclonus -- involuntary muscle jerks or twitches -- which may lead drivers to lose control of their vehicles.

The rapid saliva tests, which can detect drug residues within three minutes, were introduced to Taiwanese law enforcement in late 2025.