Taiwan authorities announced on Monday that they had seized a quantity of drugs en route for Xiamen, in east China's Fujian Province.

The seizure, not named by Taiwan police but classified as a tertiary drug on the island, was worth 5 to 6 million New Taiwan Dollars (about US$157,000 to 188,000), according to local media.

Police said the drug was first delivered to Kinmen by Taiwan drug dealer Lu Xinghuan, who planned to send it to Xiamen.

The illicit cargo was seized by Taiwan police on January 22, and Lu was arrested at the airport when he returned from Xiamen via Macao.

This is the biggest trafficking case for this type of drug in Kinmen in recent years and the first time underworld figures have tried to send the drug to the mainland via Xiamen, said Taiwan authorities.

The police are pursuing their investigations.

(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2007)