Taiwan cracks cross-Straits drug smuggling case

TAIPEI - Taiwan police authorities announced Saturday that information provided by mainland police helped lead to the arrests of two suspects and the seizure of 117 grams of amphetamine in a cross-Strait drug smuggling case.

According to the authorities, the suspects concealed small amounts of the drug in iPhone cases -- a crucial piece of information offered by the drug bureau under the mainland-based Ministry of Public Security.

The suspects then mailed the iPhone cases in one or two packages at a time from the mainland to Taiwan to avoid suspicion. Each package reportedly contained roughly 50 grams of amphetamine worth about 65,000 New Taiwan Dollars (2,206 U.S. dollars) each.

Two suspects, aged 28 and 32, were arrested Friday, and police seized124,000 New Taiwan Dollars and 46 iPhone cases the same day, the authorities said.