Online Reports of 'Drug Zombie Man' in Taipei Spark Controversy; Police State Initial Check Found No Abnormalities, Will Continue Monitoring

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNA) -- Several netizens posted today stating that the drug fentanyl has appeared in Taiwan, accompanied by videos of a man behaving like a zombie, and urged everyone to be vigilant. The police stated that an initial investigation found no abnormalities, but they will continue to monitor the situation.

Fentanyl is prevalent in the US and Canada. Multiple netizens posted on the social platform Threads stating, 'Parents with children, please pay extra attention, the drug fentanyl has already appeared in Taiwan,' and 'I am in San Francisco~ I am in Taipei, but he might have flown to San Francisco.' They also attached relevant videos and photos showing a man standing on the street, behaving like a zombie.

In response, the Longshan Police Precinct of the Taipei City Police Department stated that officers on patrol duty early this morning (around 1 AM) discovered a man standing by the roadside at the intersection of Section 2, Huanhe South Road and Lane 35. They approached him to offer assistance and inquire about his well-being.

Given that his responses were normal, and the police observed no related illegal activities, they departed. The incident occurred near a school. The Datong Precinct of the City Police Department also stated that they have not received any reports of suspected drug use around schools and are proactively strengthening patrols in and around school areas, maintaining contact with school authorities to ensure the safety of students and the public.

Zheng Wei-hao, Deputy Captain of the Drug Enforcement Center at the Criminal Investigation Bureau, stated in a media briefing this afternoon that regarding the images uploaded by netizens, initial understanding indicates that the local police responded promptly. Preliminary checks did not reveal any signs of drugs or related paraphernalia, so the individual was allowed to leave.

He noted that according to police preliminary statistics and analysis, the prevalence of fentanyl in Taiwan remains low. Currently, only one case in Tainan City has been found to contain fentanyl as evidence. This drug has not become widespread in the domestic market. The police will closely monitor drug intelligence and conduct investigations.

Zheng Wei-hao mentioned that since the 'Tobacco and Opium Control Act' was amended and announced as the 'Controlled Drugs Act' in 1998 (Republic of China calendar year 87), fentanyl has been listed as a Category II controlled drug. In 2011 (Republic of China calendar year 110), a one-time drug listing procedure was completed, categorizing 20 fentanyl analogues as Category II controlled drugs. Furthermore, in 2012 (Republic of China calendar year 111), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) requested assistance in controlling fentanyl precursor compounds, and two Schedule IV precursor chemicals were announced and listed.

It is understood that the police will continue to monitor the situation to clarify related doubts. (Editor: Chen Ren-hua) 0414

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