Taiwan seizes 200kg of ketamine from China

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Taiwan seizes 200kg of ketamine from China

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 22 December, 2013, 5:08pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 22 December, 2013, 5:08pm

Agence France-Presse in Taipei

Taiwan police have seized 200 kilograms of ketamine worth millions of US dollars smuggled from China. Photo: SCMP

Taiwan police said on Sunday they had seized about 200 kilograms of ketamine worth millions of US dollars and smuggled from China, in the second such drugs bust this year.

The haul was discovered in a shipment of shoes in three containers sent from the Chinese mainland, said officers at Taoyuan airport in the north.

Demand for drugs is rising in Taiwan as the holiday season approaches, a police officer said.

A 32-year-old man was arrested, the officer said, adding that police were hunting other suspects.

Taiwan police in May seized 450 kilograms of ketamine valued at around Tw$300 million (HK$78 million).

Authorities have been cracking down on ketamine trafficking amid concern at the level of drug abuse among students and the health dangers of the drug.

Ketamine abuse can lead to a shrivelled bladder, shortness of breath, heart problems, cognitive impairment and mental problems.

Under Taiwan’s anti-drug laws, manufacturing, transporting and dealing in ketamine are punishable by a minimum of five years in prison.