Five people have been indicted in connection with a suspected amphetamine production site in Pingtung County that was raided last year, police said today.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau said the case was being handled by the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office, with the five defendants facing charges under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Prosecutors allege that the chief suspect, a 40-year-old man surnamed Lee (李), operated an illegal narcotics factory on a banana plantation in Pingtung County's Wanluan Township (萬巒).
Photo courtesy of police
During a raid on the site in August last year, police seized manufacturing equipment and about 4.7kg of ephedrine, a Category IV narcotic that can be used to produce amphetamine, a Category II narcotic.
The authorities also said they raided a residence in Pingtung County's Neipu Township (內埔), where they discovered NT$1.3 million (US$39,661) in illicit profits and 15.9g of cannabis, a Category II narcotic.
A special task force made up of officers from Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yunlin County and Pingtung County has been formed to investigate, the bureau said.
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