HSI – Asian partners disrupt international drug trade

• HSI joins Taiwanese CIB and partners to warn youth to avoid involvement in drug trafficking

US / TAIWAN – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) International Criminal Affairs Division and other partners, announced the results of a multinational counter-narcotics operation dubbed Operation Sunset on September 5 in Taipei, Taiwan.

So far, the investigation has led to the disruption of a transnational criminal drug trafficking operation and the seizure of nearly 47 kilograms of methamphetamine in the United States and South Korea, and nearly 45 kilograms of cocaine in Malaysia – with a total street value of approximately $6 million.

In the United States, smugglers have dissolved crystal meth in water, packed it into wine bottles and used them to transport the illegal substance to Asia, to countries such as Japan and South Korea, where the drug fetches a high price.

Thanks to the close cooperation between HSI and partners, 13 suspects were arrested. All of them were charged with violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act and the Narcotics Prevention Act of Taiwan.

“The results of this highly successful investigation would not have been possible without the close relationships we have with our friends in Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and the U.S.,” said Ricardo Mayoral, HSI’s assistant director of international operations. “HSI is committed to working with our partners in the fight against transnational organized crime.”

The Taiwan-based Thento Union Sun gang is one of the prominent transnational criminal organizations that carries out various illegal activities in the regions, such as drug trafficking, extortion and smuggling. In this case, the gang allegedly recruited young men and women in their 20s to act as cross-border drug couriers, luring them with promises of high salaries, free flights, accommodation and the chance to travel abroad. The Taiwanese CIB continues to actively establish channels for cooperation and investigation with law enforcement agencies in different countries to combat cross-border drug trafficking cases.

HSI joins Taiwan’s CIB and partners in warning young people to avoid involvement in drug trafficking. While such offers may seem attractive, those who fall for the trap risk severe punishment. Committing crimes abroad carries the risk of being imprisoned abroad. The risks of international drug trafficking are high and the consequences are severe, so HSI warns people not to be tempted to make short-term gains.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Justice’s International and Cross-Border Legal Affairs Division cooperated with the U.S. Department of Justice for mutual legal assistance between Taiwan and the United States. This facilitated the transfer of evidence to Taiwan, including methamphetamine and wine bottles used to smuggle drugs, and communications equipment seized from suspects.

Contributing partners include the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau; the First Corps of the International Criminal Affairs Division and other local law enforcement agencies; the Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs; the Taiwan Ministry of Justice; the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles; HSI Taipei; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Korean National Police Agency; the Narcotics Investigation Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency; the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Malaysia Police; and the Government of Japan.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that operate the global infrastructure through which international commerce, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of more than 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices in the United States and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative police presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.