Norwegian man jailed in Taiwan for drug smuggling

A 30-year-old man from Namdalen in Trøndelag has been sentenced to five years and six months in prison by a Taiwanese court for smuggling nearly 11 kilograms of marijuana from Thailand to Taiwan, Dagbladet reports.

The man, treated as a victim of human trafficking by Norwegian police, was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport on 15 December 2025 after allegedly being coerced by Swedish gang criminals into transporting the drugs to clear a €3,000 debt.

Norwegian authorities have assigned him a support lawyer, with police in Trøndelag confirming his status as a victim in a human trafficking case. His defence team, including Norwegian lawyer Farid Bouras and Taiwanese lawyer Li Lu-min, has advised him to appeal the verdict.

Bouras criticised the Taiwanese court for not addressing the human trafficking aspect, stating that the man’s confession may have been influenced by his vulnerable position as a foreign national with limited support.

Taiwanese prisons are reported to have strict, militaristic routines, overcrowding, and limited privacy, according to the US Department of State and the American Institute in Taiwan.