In a coordinated multi-agency operation, the Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP), the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, the Seventh Special Police Corps of the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Management Administration have cracked down on illegal dumping. Nine individuals, including a primary suspect surnamed Chen, alongside six involved enterprises, were indicted for illegally backfilling construction and demolition waste onto the military’s Hukou Training Ground under the guise of an access road paving project. Prosecutors have charged the defendants with multiple violations of the Waste Disposal Act and petitioned the court to confiscate NT$1,306,325,131 in illicit gains.
The investigation began in February 2026, when TYDEP and Environmental Management Administration inspectors discovered unauthorized waste stockpiling and processing at a facility in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District. Investigators traced the waste trail to the Army’s Northern Combined Arms Training Center at Hukou and immediately forwarded the evidence to prosecutors. Further analysis revealed that a contractor hired to transport excavated soil from the military’s Taiping Target Range exploited the project by claiming the Hukou access roads required “recycled aggregates.” In reality, the contractor signed fraudulent procurement contracts with five companies to fabricate a paper trail of legitimate material purchases, while covertly dumping mixed waste instead.
According to authorities, the suspects dumped an estimated 97,942 cubic meters and 19,268 metric tons of illegal waste into the training grounds, disguising high disposal fees as transportation and material handling subsidies. Between April and June 2026, authorities conducted three raids and on-site excavations, unearthing discarded bricks, scrap plastics, metal, wiring, styrofoam, and concrete blocks mixed into the roadbed. Following interrogations, prosecutors detained Chen and four other key suspects on charges of severe environmental crimes and risks of evidence tampering and collusion. The remaining defendants were released on bails ranging from NT$80,000 to NT$200,000.
TYDEP urged waste generators and disposal operators not to cut corners through illegal dumping, stressing that law enforcement will continue leveraging the joint “Prosecutors, Police, and Environmental Authorities” coordination platform to crack down on environmental crimes. Citizens who observe suspicious stockpiling or burying of waste are encouraged to report incidents via the 24-hour public nuisance hotlines at 0800-066666 or 03-3354943.