NT$2 million worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in Taitung

Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration

Taipei, March 13 (CNA) A Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol Monday night seized 2,300 cartons of cigarettes worth an estimated NT$2 million (US$68,312) from a fishing boat trying to smuggle them into Taiwan in eastern Taitung County.

Lee Chih-hao (李志豪), head of Coast Patrol Corps 1-3, said on Tuesday the patrol identified a suspicious fishing boat slowly approaching Taitung's coastline, where the Jiajinlin River meets the ocean, at 8:40 p.m. the previous night.

The patrol notified colleagues on land who were immediately dispatched to the scene, where three fishermen -- two Taiwanese identified only by their surnames Lin (林) and Wu (吳) and an Indonesian -- were seen moving several black plastic bags onto the shore.

A total of 2,300 cartons of cigarettes were found in the bags and seized.

The three were arrested and sent to the district prosecutors office for further investigation.

(By Tyson Lu and Kuan-lin Liu)
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