POLICEMAN SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR TRAFFICKING

A Taoyuan policeman was convicted of dope trafficking and sentenced to life
imprisonment yesterday.

Ma Chang-sheng, 43, of Taoyuan, was not given a death sentence the
prosecution had requested.

A Nantou district court judge did not explain why he did not hand down the
sentence as requested on last April 29.

In a written verdict, the judge imposed a fine of NT$10 million on Ma, a
public safety patrolman at Taoyuan.

Su Tan, a 30-year-old common law wife of the policeman, was convicted of
collaboration and given a sentence of ten years in prison.

Both were arrested at their Taoyuan home on last March 25.

While investigating a dope pusher, Ma got acquainted with a trafficking
ring leader in 1996. He started selling drug himself a year later, the
verdict said. Over the last six years, the verdict added, Ma sold some NT$3
million worth of heroin and amphetamine a month.

When Ma was arrested, police found more than 600 grams of heroin at his
apartment.