Bamboo Union gang smuggling 21kg of cannabis via mattresses

Police have dismantled a drug trafficking operation linked to the Bamboo Union gang that attempted to smuggle approximately 21 kilograms of cannabis into Taiwan, valued at roughly 52 million TWD. The drugs were concealed within four international mattress parcels shipped from Canada.

Investigators discovered that the gang used romance scams, employing photos of attractive women to trick individuals into assisting with the transport. A 26-year-old active-duty soldier and a 46-year-old air conditioning technician were deceived into picking up and moving the packages without knowing they contained narcotics. Consequently, prosecutors declined to indict these two individuals.

Authorities arrested seven suspects in total across Taipei, New Taipei, Yunlin, and Pingtung. Five individuals, including a 34-year-old branch leader of the Bamboo Union's Jing'an branch, have been indicted for violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act and the Organized Crime Prevention Act. Seized evidence includes the cannabis, ketamine, mobile phones, and various drug paraphernalia.