Keelung: The mastermind behind a gang caught trafficking nearly 900 kilograms of ketamine in northern Taiwan in July 2024 has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to the Keelung District Court.

According to Focus Taiwan, the court handed down its ruling on Monday, sentencing gang leader Tsao Chun-te to 12 years for violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act by attempting to smuggle 887.93 kilograms of category 3 narcotics into Taiwan for personal gain of NT$2 million (US$61,070).

The court said in a press statement that Tsao was to coordinate the transportation of the drugs in Taiwan, while his main partner, Lai Chi-hsin, picked up the shipment from a fishing boat about three nautical miles off Dong-Ao Fishing Harbor in Wanli District, New Taipei.

The handoff occurred at around 1 a.m. on July 8. The court did not disclose further information about the source of the drugs, noting only that they were transported by another fishing vessel.

Tsao, Lai, and 14 others were apprehended by the Coast Guard Administration’s Keelung Investigation Branch at around 1:40 a.m. as they attempted to load the drugs onto trucks. Another two members of the gang, including Tsao’s son, Tsao Wei-en, were arrested in August and September, while none of the trafficked drugs entered the market.

The statement said most gang members received reduced sentences of 3.5 to 6.5 years after pleading guilty, while Tsao and Lai, who received a nine-year sentence, were given harsher penalties for changing their testimony during the investigation. Similarly, Tsai Chia-chun, who acted as a lookout but refused to plead guilty, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The ruling can be appealed.