By KHT Staff. An undated photo via the Administrative Enforcement Agency shows the DI SHI yacht.
KAOHSIUNG — A yacht seized in a case involving 1,500 kilograms of ketamine was sold at auction for NT$3.21 million, or NT$610,000 above the reserve price, the China Times reported Oct. 19.
The DI SHI (帝詩號) was seized after investigators intercepted the vessel off Kaohsiung on Jan. 26, 2026. Authorities estimated the drugs had a street value of NT$4.5 billion, according to the report.
Seizure off Kaohsiung
The yacht reportedly left Singda Fishing Port (興達港) in Cieding District (茄萣區) before dawn, using a fishing trip as cover, and met a mother ship offshore.
Investigators allege that 1,500 packages of ketamine disguised as tea products were moved by life raft into a concealed compartment beneath the yacht’s deck. Officers later intercepted the vessel and recovered drugs with a net weight of about 1,500 kilograms.
In an Oct. 17 statement, the Executive Yuan said the Investigation Bureau, Kaohsiung prosecutors, the Coast Guard and police worked with the American Institute in Taiwan and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on the case.
Auction completed in about three months
The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office scheduled public bidding for 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Lingya District (苓雅區). The China Times said several groups submitted bids before the Administrative Enforcement Agency’s Kaohsiung Branch (法務部行政執行署高雄分署) accepted the NT$3.21 million offer.
The sale was completed about three months after the seizure. The enforcement branch said the expedited process reduced mooring and storage expenses and limited the risk that the vessel would lose value while the criminal case continued.
The branch also said auctions of seven seized drug-smuggling vessels in recent years had generated more than NT$45 million for the state treasury.
Location map: View the Singda Fishing Port area in Google Maps
