Taipei, May 16 (CNA) A total of 164,000 packs of contraband cigarettes, valued at nearly NT$10 million (US$311,369), were seized by a patrol squad from a hidden compartment in a fishing vessel during an inspection on Wednesday evening, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).
After boarding the fishing vessel, coast guard marine inspectors noticed that a machine was placed in an unusual position on the deck, said Hsieh Yu-mao (謝祐懋), a deputy director at the Patrol Command Two of the CGA’s Northern Branch, which oversees the northern waters around Taiwan’s main island.
They discovered a hidden compartment after moving the machine and, using a handheld X-ray machine and a detection dog, found 164,000 packs of cigarettes stored in 328 boxes, valued at nearly NT$10 million, Hsieh added.
