Taipei Police Raid Popular Nightclub 'LUXY'

On June 14 LUXY, a popular nightclub located in Taipei's Da'an District, as well as two pubs located in Zhongshan District, were the target of a massive police raid directed against drug-trafficking. Taipei District Prosecutor's Office, Taipei Police Department, units of the Criminal Police and the Police Bureaus of Zhongshan, Da'an and Wanhua districts organised the operation jointly. Furthermore, Taiwan's Customs Office lent the police 16 detection dogs.

At midnight the police staged a fake inspection at LUXY. At 3 am three public buses stopped at Zhongxiao East Road, where the nightclub is located. But instead of normal passengers, 300 hundred policemen came out of the vehicles and raided the club, taking off guard the drug dealers and their clients. Other 380 policemen were deployed in Zhongshan District.

A total of 90 people were detained, 4 of whom were wanted criminals. 5 people were arrested on charges of drug possession, as they carried with them ecstasy, marijuana, ketamine and other substances. A South African citizen was taken into custody for staying in Taiwan for six years with an expired visa. The entire operation lasted until 5 am.

Over the last decade drug abuse in Taiwan has more than doubled, though it remains at a lower level than in most other developed nations. Particularly nightclubs have become hubs for drug trafficking. One of the problems Taiwan is facing is the 'globalisation' of drug trafficking. Young people who go clubbing often think it is acceptable to consume drugs, thus creating demand for criminal organisations.

In fact, the underworld is active in Taiwan's nightclubs. Usually, drugs cannot be obtained by anyone who asks for it. Relationships are necessary. As a nightclub owner declared, in the past it was the staff that approached regular customers and offered them drugs. They may also invite them to dinner, or introduce them to pretty girls, in order to induce them to take drugs.

UPDATE: The post was edited after readers pointed out inaccuracies in the previous version. If you have any suggestions or corrections, please contact me. I would like to remind people that this is just a personal blog in which I write about things I like or find interesting. No one pays me to do this and I don't ask anything in return. I try to be as accurate as possible, but mistakes can happen. I put a lot of effort into many blog posts in order to provide topics for discussion or information to people interested in Asia. But this website does not claim to be a professional news agency, it is only a blog I write because I am passionate about East Asia and the Chinese-speaking world. Though I try to avoid inaccuracies and I double check the sources I use, I may still make mistakes. I would appreciate if readers who find mistakes in my posts pointed them out to me, so that I can correct them.

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