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Criminal Investigation Bureau, National Police Agency

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News Releases

Publish Date:2024-06-24

Update Date:2024-06-24

Units:Criminal Information Division

Tracing the Source and Pursuing Across Borders: Taiwanese and Japanese Police Collaborate to Combat Transnational Fraud and Money Laundering Syndicates
一、Command Department: Taiwan Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office
二、Investigating Department: National Police Agency of Japan, First Brigade of International Criminal Affairs Division of Criminal Investigation Bureau, Xinxing Precinct of Kaohsiung City Police Department, Pingzhen Precinct of Taoyuan City Police Department, and Taitung Precinct of Taitung County Police Bureau.

三、Time of Seizure: July 1, 2023, January 17, 2024, January 24 to January 25, 2024, March 19, 2024.

四、Location of Seizure: Kagawa Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture in Japan, Xiaogang District, Kaohsiung City, Taitung City of Taitung County, and other locations.

五、Suspects Apprehended:
  1. Apprehended from Taiwan: Main suspect Chen (born in 1997, with a gangster background) and other 5 suspects.
  2. Apprehended from Japan: Money mule Huang (born in 1999) and other 5 suspects. Evidence and incidents have been investigated.
六、Seized Evidence:
Evidence includes NTD330,000 in cash, 2 wireless hubs, 59 mobile phones, 7 international SIM cards, 2 packets of ketamine, 2 non-standard handguns, 4 magazines, 11 bullets and other evidence.

七、Case Summary:
  1. Japan is one of the most popular overseas tourism destinations for Taiwanese, and the number of visitors to Japan has increased annually in recent years. However, some criminals have taken the opportunity to blend in, recruiting young people from southern and eastern Taiwan to join fraud and money laundering syndicates. Those recruited are then dispatched to Japan, where they follow the syndicate leaders' instructions during their stay. The money mules pose as fake police officers, deceiving and collecting ATM cards, bank passbooks, or even cash directly from elderly victims all over Japan. These criminals have collected substantial amounts of illicit money, causing the victims to lose their life savings.
  2. To curb the aforementioned circumstance and trace the head of the syndicate in Taiwan, the International Criminal Affairs Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the liaison unit stationed in Japan actively exchanged intelligence with Japanese police. They subsequently reported the case to Prosecutor Li Yu-Tzu of the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office in Taiwan, who took command of the investigation. After a lengthy and meticulous investigation, analyzing related cases from the same period for criminal modus operandi, networks, and other associated characteristics, between January 24 and 25, 2024, the first wave of raids was conducted targeting the syndicate's bases in Xiaokang District of Kaohsiung City and other relevant locations. The operation successfully apprehended the key suspect Chen and two others, seizing over 50 work mobile phones, 2 non-standard handguns, 4 magazines, 11 bullets, and other crucial evidence. Due to risk of flight, collusion and destruction of evidence, the prosecutor applied for the detentions of the three suspects, which were granted by the Kaohsiung District Court.
  3. After analyzing the seized evidence, the task force conducted a second wave of searches on March 19, 2024 in Taitung City, Taitung County, expanding the arrests to include two more syndicate leaders, suspects Xie and Guo. The leader surnamed Xie was also ordered to be detained. In May 2024, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office in Taiwan indicted the main suspect surnamed Chen who was arrested in Taiwan, along with four other syndicate members, on charges including violating the Organized Crime Prevention Act, fraud, and money laundering laws. Together with the five syndicate money mules arrested across various locations in Japan, this joint operation successfully dismantled the transnational fraud and money laundering syndicate.
  4. The syndicate dispatched money mules to intensively withdraw funds within a short period of 1 to 2 months during their stay in Japan, before immediately leaving the country and returning to Taiwan. By the time victims realized they had been defrauded and reported the cases, it had already become difficult to track down the culprits. Fortunately, through the collaboration between Taiwanese and Japanese police, such special criminal tactics were curbed, helping to maintain Taiwan's international image. Furthermore, efforts will continue to investigate and review potential victim data related to the case in order to notify Japanese authorities to intercept or look into the victimization. This joint action aims to prevent financial losses, protect public safety, and combat transnational fraud and money laundering crimes.