On 29 October 2026 the Tainan District Court sentenced a woman surnamed Tang to 10 years and six months in prison for jointly transporting cannabis, a second-level narcotic in Taiwan, and the sentence can still be appealed.[1] Judges convicted her of transporting a second-level narcotic and of importing controlled goods, and imposed the sentence on the more serious transport charge.[1] The court ordered the 72 packets of cannabis confiscated and destroyed.[2][3]
Tang had agreed to receive an international parcel and handle its paperwork for a man she knew through a messaging app as Shih Chen-wei, hoping the arrangement would help her obtain a NT$500,000 loan.[4][3] Following his instructions, she downloaded the EZ WAY customs app and used her younger brother’s name and phone number to clear the parcel.[1] The box of biscuits and sundries flew from Bangkok and reached Taipei Customs on 5 May 2026, where officers opened it and found 72 packets of cannabis with a net weight of about 2,030 grams.[1][3] None of it reached the market.[4][3]
Investigators let the courier deliver the parcel to her address as planned, and Tang was arrested when she came out to collect it.[1] She denied the charge, saying Shih had told her that a side business in online selling would show she could repay the loan, and that she did not know the parcel contained cannabis.[1][3] The court did not accept her defence, finding that a stranger offering a loan in exchange for receiving parcels was highly suspicious and that she had foreseen the parcel might contain drugs but let it happen.[4][3] It said the 2,030 grams were not a small quantity and, had they reached the market, would have accelerated the spread of drugs.[1]
The judges said they also weighed Tang’s attitude after the offence and her living and financial circumstances when setting the sentence.[3]
