Taipei: Two Vietnamese men were arrested for receiving 2.2 kilograms of dried cannabis flower worth NT$3 million (US$98,895) via international package, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Tuesday. The suspects, surnamed Vo and Ngo, were apprehended on May 22 and June 2, respectively, following a report by Taipei Customs on May 15 about drugs found in a package from Thailand.
According to Focus Taiwan, the customs officials had flagged the package as “suspicious” after an X-ray inspection, leading them to open it and discover two cookie boxes containing nine packages of cannabis flower. Police tracked the package, leading to Vo, 31, who was arrested at a factory in Changhua County after collecting it.
Police reports indicate that Vo claimed a friend had requested him to retrieve the package for someone else, denying any knowledge of its cannabis contents. Further investigation revealed Ngo, 37, intended to collect the package from Vo at his residence, resulting in his arrest in Taipei.
According to the CIB, Ngo alleged he had “asked a friend to send medicine from overseas,” denying any acquaintance with Vo or knowledge of the illicit contents. Ngo, an absconded migrant worker, was already wanted in Taipei for drug, fraud, and money laundering offenses, the bureau added.
Both suspects have been detained incommunicado, as stated by the bureau.
