Aide of Taiwan Lawmaker Gao Jin Su-mei Investigated for Illegal Smuggling

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has launched a large-scale investigation into allegations that Chang Chun-jie, an aide to Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei's office, allegedly smuggled himself out of Taiwan illegally via Keelung's Zhenbin Fishing Port. Acting on relevant intelligence, prosecutors recently directed judicial police agencies to form a special task force to conduct searches and summonses targeting vessels and individuals involved in the case. After previously summoning and subsequently releasing the owner of the fishing vessel Qian Chun No. 168 following questioning, prosecutors expanded the scope of their investigation. They once again directed the task force to execute searches and issue summonses for the owner and captain of another implicated fishing vessel, Man Rui Fu No. 6, while also detaining relevant crew members. A total of seven individuals involved have been summoned or detained by prosecutors and investigators, as authorities thoroughly clarify the case for potential violations of relevant laws.

The central figure in this case, Chang Chun-jie, is currently an aide in the office of Legislator Kao Chin Su-mei. His whereabouts have drawn significant public attention due to his involvement in specific judicial cases or related investigations. According to the preliminary investigative direction currently grasped by prosecutors and investigators, Chang allegedly boarded a boat to smuggle himself out of Taiwan from Keelung's Zhenbin Fishing Port without undergoing normal departure inspections and legal customs clearance procedures. Such actions of evading border controls and customs inspections not only severely disrupt the order of national security management, but also transform what was originally a straightforward judicial case into a more complex smuggling network and legal liability. This has prompted the investigative authorities to attach high importance to the matter and rapidly form a cross-unit task force for investigation.

To clarify how Chang successfully evaded security checks and boarded a vessel to leave the country, the investigative units adopted a step-by-step investigative strategy. The task force previously investigated the implicated fishing vessel Qian Chun No. 168, summoning its owner for questioning. After completing preliminary questioning and clarifying aspects of the case, the prosecutor temporarily released the boat owner. However, as the investigation progressed, prosecutors and police discovered that there may be more than one implicated fishing vessel, and that the behind-the-scenes network assisting the smuggling could be even more extensive. Consequently, the prosecutor immediately directed the task force to shift focus toward another implicated vessel, Man Rui Fu No. 6, conducting comprehensive searches of relevant premises and summoning the boat owner and captain in an attempt to uncover the core figures behind the arrangement of the smuggling operation.

In addition to the boat owner and captain, the police and prosecution task force demonstrated a resolute law enforcement attitude during this operation by simultaneously detaining five crew members involved in the case. These frontline crew members, who deal directly with vessel operations and navigation, are frequently crucial witnesses or suspected accomplices who hold details of the smuggling operation and the actual navigation route. With the owner and captain of Man Rui Fu No. 6, alongside the five crew members, all apprehended, the total number of individuals summoned or detained by investigators in this operation has reached seven. Following preliminary questioning and the recording of statements by investigative units, these seven individuals are scheduled to be successively transferred today to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for further questioning by prosecutors, aimed at further clarifying the roles and division of labor played by each suspect in the entire smuggling incident.

From the perspective of national security and border management, fishing ports have always been a vital defense line for Taiwan's coast guard in combating smuggling and illegal entry and exit. As an important port in the Keelung area, Zhenbin Fishing Port handles a high volume of vessel traffic on a regular basis. If individuals with ulterior motives deliberately utilize fishing vessels for illegal transport or to smuggle themselves out to sea, it creates a tangible loophole and threat to national security. The large-scale summons and detention of multiple boat owners, captains, and crew members by investigative units this time not only constitutes a legal prosecution targeting Chang's suspected individual smuggling act, but also symbolizes the zero-tolerance stance of prosecutors and police toward illegal maritime smuggling and the syndicates that assist them. As the seven suspects are transferred for further questioning, prosecutors will piece together the complete context of Chang's fleeing abroad and the behind-the-scenes assistance network through subsequent interrogations and evidence comparison.