By KHT Staff. Screenshot from NextTV Dec. 2025 report.
KAOHSIUNG — A British national has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of trying to smuggle 27 kg of ketamine into Taiwan through Kaohsiung International Airport.
The Kaohsiung District Court said the 21-year-old, identified in local reports as “Jaff,” worked with members of an international drug trafficking group last year.
According to the ruling, Jaff contacted people using the names “Delta” and “Lottasizzurp” through WhatsApp in December.
The group provided him with 500 British pounds’ worth of TRX cryptocurrency to pay for travel from the United Kingdom to Germany and hotel accommodation, the court said. He was also promised 600 pounds, or about NT$25,000, after completing the delivery.
The relatively small payment stood in sharp contrast to the scale of the shipment, which prosecutors said contained more than 27 kg of ketamine.
The court said Jaff received a suitcase in Germany on Dec. 20 containing 13 packages of ketamine with a total gross weight of 27,043.5 grams.
He then flew from Frankfurt to Kaohsiung via Hong Kong, arriving at Kaohsiung International Airport the following afternoon.
Customs and aviation police stopped him after officers noticed suspicious behavior during luggage inspection. Earlier reporting on the arrest said the suspect tried to delay a reinspection and then ran from the controlled area into the arrivals hall before being caught.
Officers found the drugs inside the suitcase and arrested him at the airport.
The court said Jaff admitted the offense during the investigation and trial.
Judges said the quantity of drugs was large and could have caused serious harm if released onto the market. However, because he confessed, the court reduced his sentence under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Jaff was convicted of transporting Category 3 narcotics and sentenced to eight years in prison. He is to be deported after serving his sentence or receiving a pardon.
The ruling can be appealed.
Sidebar: How parole works in Taiwan
Under Taiwan’s Criminal Code, a prisoner serving a fixed-term sentence may be considered for parole after serving one-half of the sentence, if there is evidence of repentance and the prison applies to the Ministry of Justice. Recidivists generally must serve two-thirds before becoming eligible. People serving life sentences may be considered after 25 years. (Moj Law)
That means an eight-year sentence does not necessarily mean eight full years in prison. A non-recidivist could become eligible for parole after about four years, though parole is not automatic.
