The Central Center of Environmental Management of the Environmental Management Administration (EMA), Ministry of Environment (MOENV), together with the Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau, the Taiwan Taichung District Prosecutors Office, the Central Region Unit of the Third Brigade, Seventh Special Police Corps under the National Police Agency, Ministry of the Interior, and the Taichung City Field Office of the Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, dismantled an environmental crime syndicate led by an environmental protection company. In addition to illegally receiving, stockpiling, and transferring waste, the group concealed its illegal receipt and removal of waste by falsifying waste flow declarations through a “license borrowing” scheme. Following the conclusion of the investigation by the Taichung District Prosecutors Office on Nov. 28, 2025, 20 corporate entities and 84 individuals were indicted for violations of the Waste Disposal Act, with a court petition filed to confiscate more than NT$23.11 million in criminal proceeds. An additional 67 individuals were granted deferred prosecution.

Technological law enforcement proved effective, leaving illegal activities nowhere to hide. The case originated from a public report of waste stockpiling on a parcel of land in Shalu District. The Central Center of Environmental Management deployed remote monitoring equipment for evidence collection, confirming frequent visits of vehicles transporting large volumes of waste. Using AI-assisted data cross-referencing and environmental domain analysis, authorities identified an environmental crime group operating without permits for waste storage or removal, illegally receiving waste and stockpiling and transferring it at the site. The case was referred to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, where Prosecutor Liu Chih-wen led a task force comprising police, investigative, and environmental authorities. A joint operation was conducted on Aug. 22, 2024, uncovering large quantities of illegally stockpiled industrial waste, including mixed waste wood, mixed construction waste, mixed waste plastics, and waste wires and cables. The illegal stockpile reached approximately 1,200 cubic meters, posing pollution risks to the surrounding environment.

The exposure of waste “laundering” revealed how an unlicensed environmental protection company accepted waste at low prices and used a licensed waste removal company to falsely declare waste flows, masking illegal receipt and removal. The criminal methods were highly deceptive. The environmental protection company had previously held a waste removal permit, but it was revoked by the Taichung City Environmental Protection Bureau in April 2022 due to illegal private storage facilities. However, the person in charge of the company, surnamed Chou, continued operations by leasing remote land in Shalu District, falsely claiming it was a parking lot while using it as an illegal waste stockpiling site. The group aggressively solicited waste from unspecified contractors and interior renovation businesses at below-market prices for illicit profit. Through license borrowing, another environmental protection company, which held a Class B waste removal permit, assisted by falsely reporting waste quantities via the online declaration system, “laundering” the illegally received waste as waste legally received and removed by itself, which was then transported to unsuspecting legitimate facilities for reuse or treatment.

Upstream tracing and law enforcement revealed all businesses that entrusted waste to the unlicensed company, ensuring that those seeking cheap disposal paid the price. In addition to indicting both environmental protection companies and others for violations of Article 46 of the Waste Disposal Act and the Criminal Code offense of false business records as well as petitioning the court to confiscate more than NT$23.11 million in illicit proceeds, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office conducted upstream law enforcement against transporters that entrusted waste to the company. Using remote monitoring footage, the task force identified multiple licensed environmental companies as well as unlicensed renovation firms, demolition contractors, moving companies, and individual drivers who, for convenience or cost savings, handed waste to the unlicensed environmental company after removal. All entities that delivered waste to the environmental company for illegal handling were indicted for violations of the Waste Disposal Act. In total, 20 corporate entities and 84 individuals were indicted, with 67 individuals granted deferred prosecution.

The EMA stated that under Article 46 of the Waste Disposal Act, providing land for waste stockpiling without authorization or removing or treating waste without the required permits or not in accordance with permit conditions is punishable by imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of up to NT$15 million. Where responsible persons or employees of a legal entity commit such offenses, the legal entity is also subject to fines. The EMA urges the public to immediately report suspected illegal waste stockpiling or dumping by calling the public nuisance reporting hotline at 0800-066666. Environmental authorities will dispatch personnel to investigate, jointly safeguarding environmental quality.