3 Taiwan Coast Guard members arrested in bribery case

3名台灣海警涉嫌收賄案被捕

Fish allegedly smuggled from Taiwan to China


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four people, including three members of the Coast Guard, have been arrested in the fishing port of Keelung in connection with a smuggling case that saw Coast Guard officers allegedly receiving bribes to allow illegal exports of fish to China.

According to the Liberty Times, three of the arrested were members of the Keelung Coast Guard’s Badouzi Fishing Port Security Checkpoint, and the other, surnamed Huang (黃), allegedly paid the bribes and led the smuggling efforts.

The 25-year-old Coast Guard Lieutenant Captain Chen Fuxiang (陳富翔) received the bribes, allowing fishing boats to illegally leave the port for NT$200,000 (USS$6,620) per trip. The lieutenant captain then distributed the bribes to other members of his unit, two sergeants named Tang (湯) and Chen (陳).

Lieutenant Chen had recently been transferred to Keelung from Tainan, and formed a three-person team with Tang and Chen who were responsible for the inspection of fishing boats entering and exiting Keelung’s Badouzi fishing port.

According to reports, Chen asked publicly if there were any boats in need of help with smuggling, alerting the Judicial Team of the Coast Guard’s Second Shore Patrol, who launched a joint investigation.

According to the investigation, Chen and his unit took bribes from at least two boats and helped them to cover up their smuggling activities. The investigation also led to the arrest of Huang, who was found with NT$800,000 in cash when arrested, though he denied any connection to smuggling.

According to reports, Huang has been operating out of Badouzi port for some time. He would allegedly smuggle the illegal goods to the middle of the Taiwan Strait where they would be sold to Chinese boats.

In recent years, China has banned the import of many Taiwan seafood products including Taiwanese grouper, beltfish, and others, providing opportunities for smugglers.