Taiwan-Malaysia police uncover heroin smuggling scheme using phone case shipments
Police in Taiwan and Malaysia have uncovered a transnational heroin smuggling ring using phone case shipments to conceal drugs, seizing 4.21kg of heroin and arresting one suspect linked to the Taiwan-based Thento Union.
TAIWAN: Authorities in Taiwan and Malaysia have dismantled a transnational heroin smuggling network that used mobile phone case shipments to conceal narcotics, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on 28 October.
Police seized 4.21kg of heroin hidden inside the packaging of phone cases sent to Keelung through express freight. One suspect, a 41-year-old man surnamed Wang (王), was arrested in connection with the operation.
The heroin, hidden under the bottom panels of mobile phone case boxes, had been disguised to evade X-ray detection, according to police. The drugs were shipped into Taiwan using international express logistics with proper customs declarations to mask the illicit cargo.
A CIB representative said the heroin, if sold on the black market, could be worth nearly NT$20 million (approximately US$655,012).
Chang Chao-hsiung (張詔雄), head of the CIB’s International Criminal Affairs Division's first investigation team, stated that law enforcement agencies in Taiwan and Malaysia had been tracking a cross-border criminal group involved in narcotics trafficking.
Following the intelligence-sharing, Taiwanese law enforcement launched an interception operation and discovered heroin concealed within incoming shipments. The packages had been addressed to a claw machine shop in Keelung, which investigators believe was selected to reduce suspicion and facilitate discreet delivery.
Investigators later identified Wang as the local coordinator for the drug trafficking ring. Police allege that Wang collaborated with criminal associates in Malaysia as part of the smuggling operation.
Wang reportedly went into hiding after the shipment was intercepted. However, on 30 April, police located and apprehended him in Jhongli District, Taoyuan. During the arrest, authorities seized mobile phones and other evidence allegedly connected to the crime.
Wang has since been transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, where he is under investigation for suspected violations of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
According to police, Wang is believed to be affiliated with the Thento Union, a Taiwan-based international criminal organisation. The group is suspected of orchestrating multiple cross-border drug trafficking operations.
The CIB stated that investigations are ongoing, with efforts focused on identifying other accomplices, both in Taiwan and abroad, and tracing the broader supply chain behind the seized heroin.
Authorities emphasised that this case highlights the evolving methods used by drug syndicates to smuggle narcotics. Concealment techniques, such as embedding drugs in common consumer goods and leveraging international shipping routes, continue to challenge traditional inspection protocols.
Law enforcement agencies in both Taiwan and Malaysia are reportedly strengthening cooperative mechanisms to combat similar transnational criminal activities.
