By KHT Staff. Image shows a drug-seizure evidence room in an unrelated case. For illustration only.
KAOHSIUNG — A woman surnamed Wang has been acquitted of charges that she helped finance a cross-border drug shipment by arranging an NT$8,949 customs payment, with the court finding insufficient evidence that she knew the money was connected to marijuana smuggling. The ruling may be appealed.
The China Times reported that a trafficking group used the identity of a Taiwan construction company in 2022 to order a shipping container from Canada. The group needed NT$8,949 to cover customs charges.
According to the ruling cited in the report, a foreign national identified only as “E” approached Wang while she was visiting Los Angeles. E said a friend in Taiwan needed help making a payment of about US$200 and offered to reimburse her in cash.
Wang then asked a friend surnamed Lu in Taiwan to deposit NT$8,949 into a logistics company’s account without using a bank passbook.
The logistics company later discovered that the construction company’s information had been misused and alerted authorities. Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau and Customs Administration intercepted the container at the Port of Kaohsiung, where investigators found 100 packages of marijuana.
Prosecutors traced the payment and charged Wang with aiding the transportation of a Category 2 narcotic, helping smuggle controlled goods and participating in a criminal organization. Marijuana is classified as a Category 2 narcotic under Taiwan law.
Wang denied wrongdoing. She told the court that E was an acquaintance through her husband’s social circle and that she believed she was merely advancing a small, legitimate payment.
The court found that the telephone number written on Lu’s deposit slip matched a former mobile number used by Wang. Judges also noted that Wang voluntarily gave investigators information and photographs identifying E and his wife.
The court concluded that the available evidence did not prove Wang knew the payment was tied to the shipment or that she knowingly participated in drug trafficking or organized crime.
