On October 15, the Taipei police announced a significant breakthrough in a marijuana cultivation and production case in Hsinchu, Taiwan. They uncovered two marijuana factories and seized a total of 5,659 marijuana plants and other related evidence, with an estimated value exceeding 2 billion New Taiwan Dollars. The police referred to this as “the largest marijuana cultivation case in Taiwan’s history.”
According to various Taiwanese media outlets, including Central News Agency, China Times, and United Daily News, the police received intelligence back in May about gang organizations illegally growing and producing marijuana in Hsinchu. During inspections, they discovered another illegal marijuana factory in the area. Investigations revealed that both factories were operated by the same drug production group, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals and the confiscation of 5,659 marijuana plants, 1,666 marijuana seeds, and cultivation and production equipment.
Local police stated that the quantity of marijuana seized in this case set a new record for Taiwan. The involved factories were equipped with temperature and humidity control systems and specialized lighting to enhance the efficiency of marijuana plant production, indicating a significant financial investment in drug manufacturing technology by the group aimed at mass-producing drugs for the market.
Additionally, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office reported on the same day that in 2023, police seized over 2,300 kilograms of marijuana, showing a significant increase compared to the previous two years. However, the number of users has reportedly decreased, suggesting that there may be a substantial unreported population of marijuana consumers. Moving forward, police will need to intensify efforts to uncover unreported usage and comprehensively combat the marijuana supply and demand network.
