Published: 2026/1/31 19:10 Updated: 2026/1/31 20:10
Chen Huanyu, Chen Xiankun / Local Report
Yang Ming Marine Transport, one of Taiwan’s three major container shipping companies, is suspected of using its “Huanming” vessel to smuggle large quantities of heroin from Vietnam to Taiwan. After receiving a report from a fellow crew member, Yang Ming immediately notified the Coast Guard and the Investigation Bureau. Customs officers have seized the heroin blocks, and the executives involved have been transferred to the prosecutor’s office for investigation. Last night (30), the prosecutor’s office applied to the court for their detention and incommunicado confinement, which was granted.
Although it was the weekend, Yang Ming cargo ships were still entering and leaving Kaohsiung Port on the afternoon of the 31st. The Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation’s Huanming cruise ship was seized by Kaohsiung Port Customs on the evening of the 29th while docked. A large quantity of heroin, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of NT dollars, was found smuggled into the ship’s hold. The person suspected of directing the drug trafficking was a high-ranking officer on board.
Lin Chih-yu, Chief Prosecutor of the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office, explained, “Our prosecutors are actively collecting evidence and conducting an investigation into the relevant facts, and will clarify the case as soon as possible.”
The officer is suspected of coordinating with Southeast Asian drug smuggling syndicates. When the Huanming arrived at Haiphong Port in Vietnam, local suppliers were instructed to smuggle drugs onto the ship in vegetable baskets or packages. The officer then bribed customs officials with contraband cigarettes to allow the ship to pass through. The ship returned to Kaohsiung Port from Vietnam on the 25th. Given the rampant drug exports from Southeast Asia, scholars believe that Taiwan can improve its cross-border cooperation to promptly detect abnormalities on ships.
Wang Po-chi, Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University , believes that “through cross-border cooperation, when a ship exhibits unusual behavior, such as when drugs are loaded onto it in another country or region, there could be a reporting mechanism. This would allow us to conduct investigations more effectively, because many times, our drug seizures are based on intelligence.”
The suspected drug trafficking case involving a senior executive could damage Yang Ming’s reputation. Yang Ming Marine Transport responded that the case arose after a crew member discovered that a certain person was suspected of receiving contraband. The crew member proactively reported this to the government, and the relevant records on board have been submitted to the investigative authorities. Currently, only one crew member has been detained for investigation; the remaining crew members and the vessel have resumed normal operations.