Taiwan Coast Guard seizes 333 kg of marijuana from Chinese cargo ship

Taiwan’s Coast Guard seized 333 kilograms of marijuana from a Chinese-flagged cargo ship, authorities said at a Wednesday press conference.

The drugs, recovered from the vessel Xin Zheng He 168 (新正和168), were allegedly destined for Taiwan with an estimated market value of NT$667 million (US$21 million). Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) urged China not to condone or protect maritime drug trafficking activities.

Keelung District Prosecutor Chou Ching-ting (周靖婷) said the Coast Guard’s Keelung Investigation Team received intelligence that a vessel was engaged in drug smuggling activity in northern Taiwan waters. This led a task force to strengthen monitoring of suspicious vessels in port areas and surrounding seas.

The investigation found the ship’s Chinese captain, surnamed Chen (陳), and six Chinese crew members planned to smuggle drugs into Taiwan. In October, Chen's vessel departed from Fuzhou in Fujian Province and sailed to waters off Vietnam, where it received marijuana from an unidentified vessel.

The ship then proceeded to a designated meeting point in international waters northwest of Taiwan to transfer the drugs to another vessel. Authorities said the cargo ship attempted to alter its name to SHUN TAN and misrepresent itself in the automatic identification system as belonging to Taiwan while flying a Malaysian flag, raising suspicions. 

The Coast Guard ordered the vessel to stop, but the crew refused and allegedly rammed a patrol ship in an attempt to evade inspection. The Coast Guard then dispatched its special operations team to board the vessel. Stun grenades were used, and at approximately 5:52 a.m. on Dec. 2, officers forcibly boarded the ship.

Marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags was found in a storage room. All seven crew members were arrested. A total of 333 kg of marijuana, classified as a Category 2 narcotic, was seized.

With assistance from the Keelung Port Border Affairs Corps, the National Immigration Agency, and the Ministry of the Interior, all seven suspects were detained and confirmed to be Chinese. The case was transferred to the Keelung District Prosecutors' Office for violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act. The investigation concluded Tuesday, and all seven suspects have been indicted.

Kuan said the success of the operation was due to close coordination between the Coast Guard, police, and prosecutors. This enabled the boarding of the vessel and prevented the drugs from entering Taiwan.

Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said the weapons and equipment used in the operation were displayed at the press conference. This included assault rifles, shotguns, and grenade launchers used by the special operations team.

Chang said the equipment, along with night vision goggles and modular boarding ladders, enabled the successful nighttime boarding and inspection. He said the successful mission demonstrated the Coast Guard’s maritime law enforcement capabilities.