Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) attended a press conference on the Taiwan-US anti-drug cooperation on a “Kratom” trafficking case on Tuesday in Kaohsiung.
In March, the justice ministry’s investigation bureau was notified that a shipment of the emerging drug Kratom from Jakarta, Indonesia bound for Miami and Los Angeles in the U.S. was due to transit through Kaohsiung Airport. The shipment was intercepted and nearly 180 metric tons of Kratom powder were seized at Kaohsiung Customs, with a market value of nearly NT$36.3 billion (US$1.2 billion).
Chen thanked the U.S. law enforcement agencies for providing intelligence and he also thanked the Taiwan High Prosecutor's Office for cooperating in the anti-narcotics operation.
Chen said that Taiwan is an essential shipping hub and plays a key role in anti-drug efforts in the region. He says Taiwan will continue to cooperate with international partners to combat cross-border drug crimes and disrupt the international drug supply chains. Last year, Taiwan, the U.S., and Australia jointly seized 30 kilograms of amphetamine smuggled from the U.S. to Australia through Taiwan.
Chen said that since 2017, the Cabinet has invested NT$10 billion (US$313 million) in four years to implement new anti-drug strategies and in 2020, invested another NT$15 billion (US$470 million).