Norwegian man indicted for marijuana possession during Taiwan transit

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) A Norwegian national has been indicted for possession of marijuana while transiting in Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau reported Tuesday.

At a news conference, Chen Po-chuan (陳博全), head of the Second Investigation Team of the bureau's Criminal Investigation Brigade, said the man in his 30s was arrested in September after using a seven hour layover to visit Taipei.

The Norwegian national was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport early in the morning after visiting a night club in Taipei's Xinyi District, where the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper is located, Chen said, failing to indicate on what day the arrest took place.

However, the aviation police officer said the arrest was made after aviation police investigators and Taipei Customs officers found 25.5 kilograms of marijuana buds in the man's check-in luggage during safety checks at the first terminal of Taoyuan airport.

The Category II drug, which is banned in Taiwan, had a market value of over NT$10 million (US$308,642), Chen noted.

According to Chen, the man said he had taken advantage of the seven hour wait to have fun in Taipei, including visiting Taipei 101 and nearby tourist spots.

The suspect initially argued that the illegal substance concealed in his luggage was not his, but related documents proved he checked-in the items in his own name at an airport counter in Thailand, Chen said.

The case was transferred to Taoyuan prosecutors after a police investigation, and the Norwegian national was detained on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, Chen added.