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50-Year-Old Pharmaceutical Factory Turns into Drug Production Hub
[Reported by Cai Zhangsheng, Huang Meizhu, Hong Meixiu, Wang Changmin]
A GMP-certified pharmaceutical factory was found operating as a drug production facility! The Hsinchu District Prosecutor’s Office yesterday directed the city police and the Criminal Investigation Bureau to raid the Hsin Tung Chemical Pharmaceutical Factory in Hsinchu City, which was suspected of manufacturing the third-level narcotic "Erimin" (Nimetazepam). Over 2.2 million pills were seized, with an estimated black market value exceeding NT$200 million.
Cheng Hung-yung, the de facto head of the GMP-certified Hsin Tung Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, admitted to drug manufacturing, claiming financial difficulties drove him to take the risk. Investigators found that Cheng learned co-conspirators Wu Chang-sung and Kuo Jung-hua had access to Erimin raw materials and a distribution network. Using the legitimate GMP factory as a front, Cheng obtained some drug-making materials and, starting in January, recruited Hsieh Chen-peng, Lee Chun-ming, Yang Wen-chun, Yeh Chia-jung, and Yang Chun-kan to live in the factory and begin drug production research.
**Over 2.2 Million Pills Seized, Black Market Value Exceeds NT$200 Million**
The drug production process was divided into two stages. The first stage involved Cheng "pressing tablets" at the Hsin Tung factory, while the latter "packaging" stage took place at a rented facility on Haipu Road in Hsinchu City. Packaging and inkjet machines were purchased by Cheng, with Hsieh Chen-peng overseeing Lee Chun-ming, Yang Wen-chun, Yeh Chia-jung, and Yang Chun-kan in packaging the drugs.
**Health Authorities’ Inspection Found Nothing**
By mid-March, the drug ring began mass-producing Erimin. The first batch, approximately 750,000 pills, was shipped on April 14. Production of the second batch started on April 16 and continued until yesterday’s bust.
Ironically, inspectors from the Department of Health’s Drug Inspection Bureau visited the Hsin Tung factory in late April but found nothing amiss. Liao Chi-chou, director of the Department of Health’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Division, explained that GMP factories are inspected every two years, focusing on verifying drug dosage, ingredients, manufacturing licenses, batch records, and raw material storage. If manufacturers exploit gaps between inspections to produce drugs and falsify or conceal evidence, enforcement becomes extremely difficult.
**First-Generation Owner Also Prosecuted for Drug Production**
The over-50-year-old Hsin Tung Pharmaceutical Factory once operated multiple production lines, capable of manufacturing over 100 types of drugs. The first-generation owner was previously prosecuted for producing the then-popular narcotic "Sosegon" (Pentazocine) 30 years ago, reaping profits of tens of millions. The Cheng family was known for their lavish lifestyle, driving BMWs and Jaguars and owning numerous properties and land in Hsinchu County’s Baoshan Township.
The second-generation owner, Cheng Hung-yung, gained notoriety for his extravagant hobbies. As the family fortunes declined, even his pharmacist sister was affected. Rumors suggest the factory was heavily in debt, and his sister, as a guarantor, often privately complained about being dragged down by her brother. Last month, she deregistered as the factory’s resident pharmacist with the Hsinchu City Health Bureau, severing ties with her brother’s pharmaceutical business.
Authorities acted on a tip-off four months ago, launching surveillance. Yesterday at dawn, multiple raids were conducted across five locations, seizing 16 large boxes containing 1,235,000 finished Erimin pills, 139,000 loose pills, and 161 kilograms of powder—equivalent to approximately 2.2 million pills in total.
Source: http://www. libertytimes. com. tw/ 2009/ new/ may/ 8/ today- t1. htm
Shock! GMP Pharma Factory Involved in Drug Production and Distribution
[Reported by Cai Zhangsheng, Huang Meizhu, Hong Meixiu, Wang Changmin]
A GMP-certified pharmaceutical factory was found operating as a drug production facility! The Hsinchu District Prosecutor’s Office yesterday directed the city police and the Criminal Investigation Bureau to raid the Hsin Tung Chemical Pharmaceutical Factory in Hsinchu City, which was suspected of manufacturing the third-level narcotic "Erimin" (Nimetazepam). Over 2.2 million pills were seized, with an estimated black market value exceeding NT$200 million.
Cheng Hung-yung, the de facto head of the GMP-certified Hsin Tung Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, admitted to drug manufacturing, claiming financial difficulties drove him to take the risk. Investigators found that Cheng learned co-conspirators Wu Chang-sung and Kuo Jung-hua had access to Erimin raw materials and a distribution network. Using the legitimate GMP factory as a front, Cheng obtained some drug-making materials and, starting in January, recruited Hsieh Chen-peng, Lee Chun-ming, Yang Wen-chun, Yeh Chia-jung, and Yang Chun-kan to live in the factory and begin drug production research.
**Over 2.2 Million Pills Seized, Black Market Value Exceeds NT$200 Million**
The drug production process was divided into two stages. The first stage involved Cheng "pressing tablets" at the Hsin Tung factory, while the latter "packaging" stage took place at a rented facility on Haipu Road in Hsinchu City. Packaging and inkjet machines were purchased by Cheng, with Hsieh Chen-peng overseeing Lee Chun-ming, Yang Wen-chun, Yeh Chia-jung, and Yang Chun-kan in packaging the drugs.
**Health Authorities’ Inspection Found Nothing**
By mid-March, the drug ring began mass-producing Erimin. The first batch, approximately 750,000 pills, was shipped on April 14. Production of the second batch started on April 16 and continued until yesterday’s bust.
Ironically, inspectors from the Department of Health’s Drug Inspection Bureau visited the Hsin Tung factory in late April but found nothing amiss. Liao Chi-chou, director of the Department of Health’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Division, explained that GMP factories are inspected every two years, focusing on verifying drug dosage, ingredients, manufacturing licenses, batch records, and raw material storage. If manufacturers exploit gaps between inspections to produce drugs and falsify or conceal evidence, enforcement becomes extremely difficult.
**First-Generation Owner Also Prosecuted for Drug Production**
The over-50-year-old Hsin Tung Pharmaceutical Factory once operated multiple production lines, capable of manufacturing over 100 types of drugs. The first-generation owner was previously prosecuted for producing the then-popular narcotic "Sosegon" (Pentazocine) 30 years ago, reaping profits of tens of millions. The Cheng family was known for their lavish lifestyle, driving BMWs and Jaguars and owning numerous properties and land in Hsinchu County’s Baoshan Township.
The second-generation owner, Cheng Hung-yung, gained notoriety for his extravagant hobbies. As the family fortunes declined, even his pharmacist sister was affected. Rumors suggest the factory was heavily in debt, and his sister, as a guarantor, often privately complained about being dragged down by her brother. Last month, she deregistered as the factory’s resident pharmacist with the Hsinchu City Health Bureau, severing ties with her brother’s pharmaceutical business.
Authorities acted on a tip-off four months ago, launching surveillance. Yesterday at dawn, multiple raids were conducted across five locations, seizing 16 large boxes containing 1,235,000 finished Erimin pills, 139,000 loose pills, and 161 kilograms of powder—equivalent to approximately 2.2 million pills in total.
Source: http://www. libertytimes. com. tw/ 2009/ new/ may/ 8/ today- t1. htm