Taiwan prosecutors honored for combating environmental crimes

Taiwanese prosecutors from the Tainan and Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Offices have received prestigious awards for their efforts in dismantling illegal waste disposal and land conservation crime networks.

Prosecutor Lin Kun-zhang of the Tainan District Prosecutors Office was awarded the Golden Environmental Award by the Ministry of Environment. Lin led a two-year investigation into an illegal waste disposal syndicate that illicitly dumped and buried construction waste across 23 locations in Tainan, covering approximately 296,557 square meters. The operation involved eight raids, the mobilization of 350 personnel, and resulted in the indictment of 102 individuals and 27 companies.

The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office received dual honors, being named both a top environmental crime investigation team and a recipient of the Golden Environmental Award. The office was recognized for its cross-agency cooperation in investigating illegal stone quarrying and forest destruction through the use of advanced technology, including GPS tracking and remote monitoring, to dismantle criminal chains involving land brokers and transport fleets.