The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) shared a successful case of cooperation between law enforcement agencies from the United States and Taiwan in combating drug trafficking. A few months ago, the two agencies worked together to arrest a drug trafficking suspect surnamed Chung residing in the United States, who is a core member of the Bamboo Union gang’s Ming Jen faction.
In a Facebook post, AIT mentioned how several months ago, law enforcement departments from the United States and Taiwan collaborated successfully to apprehend a Chung, a drug trafficking suspect living in Los Angeles.
During this operation, the Taiwanese Investigation Bureau cooperated with the American Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department. This operation showcased the successful collaboration between the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau and various American law enforcement agencies.
In addition, AIT issued an English statement mentioning how Chung, the suspect, is suspected to be a prominent figure in the Ming Jen faction of the notorious Bamboo Union.
Taiwanese legislator Wang Ting-yu highlighted in a Facebook post that the official announcement from AIT about joint Taiwan-US efforts to combat a member of the Bamboo Union with alleged international drug trafficking involvement is worth noting for two reasons:
Firstly, the statement acknowledges the collaboration between Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and various American law enforcement agencies, portraying Taiwan not only as a valuable partner in fighting crime but also as a country-level ally deserving of respect.
Secondly, the operation targeted a member of the Bamboo Union gang, some of whom have become tools of infiltration for the Chinese Communist Party against Taiwan and the US. This raises questions about whether the joint Taiwan-US operation aims to counter the infiltration and disruption efforts of pro-CCP gangs in democratic and open societies.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Republic of China announced in a press release on November 20 last year that Taiwanese and American law enforcement agencies joined forces to crack down on members of the Ming Jen faction of the Bamboo Union involved in smuggling 51 kilograms of cannabis. This operation included the inspection of two international parcels imported from San Francisco in Taipei, revealing 30 packages of cannabis hidden in a sofa package. A special task force, comprising officers from the Security Police Third Corps and the International Criminal Police Department of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, was formed and commenced the investigation under the command of Taipei District Prosecutor Ying Yu.
After the apprehension of the suspect Chen by the task force, Taipei Customs continued its inspection and discovered 60 packages of cannabis hidden in three more parcels imported from San Francisco. The case focused on Taiwanese drug courier suspects and expanded to arrest seven individuals domestically, while the prime suspect Chung, residing in the USA, was issued an arrest warrant by the prosecuting attorney.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau of Taiwan stated that through long-term intelligence exchanges with American law enforcement agencies, they coordinated with the US to apprehend the main suspect Chung simultaneously. Agents from the International Criminal Police Section worked alongside American law enforcement in Los Angeles to arrest Chung and he was subsequently deported by the US authorities and handed over at Los Angeles Airport before being escorted back to Taiwan by Taiwanese authorities.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau of Taiwan specified that Chung will be prosecuted for alleged violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act and the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, and the case will be handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation. This case marks the first collaborative cross-border arrest by Taiwanese and American law enforcement agencies involving a major criminal suspect in the Republic of China, reaffirming the exemplary model of cross-border law enforcement cooperation and opening a new chapter in joint Taiwan-US crime fighting.