Taipei: The Taiwan Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office announced that it has indicted a doctor for allegedly supplying sleeping pills to a drug dealer, calling for a 12-year prison sentence and fines amounting to NT$13 million (US$409,967).

According to Focus Taiwan, the 65-year-old physician, identified by the surname Wu, was implicated during an investigation by the Taipei City Police Department into a drug dealer surnamed Wei. Authorities traced the sale of sleeping pills to Wei back to a clinic in Taoyuan's Guanyin District, leading prosecutors to form a task force to tackle the illegal distribution of controlled drugs.

Investigators zeroed in on Wu, a doctor at the clinic and its registered overseer. Wu is alleged to have provided Wei with sleeping pills, including Modipanol and Stilnox, by tampering with prescription records and adding the drugs to patients' prescriptions without their knowledge.

On April 15, a coordinated raid by Taoyuan prosecutors, the city's Department of Public Health, and Taipei police resulted in the seizure of 21,924 Stilnox tablets, 846 Modipanol tablets, various prescription forms, and NT$16.29 million in cash. Modipanol comprises flunitrazepam, a Category 3 narcotic in Taiwan, while Stilnox contains zolpidem, classified as a Category 4 narcotic.

Wu confessed to breaking the law during questioning, leading prosecutors to request his detention on charges of selling and distributing narcotics. However, a court eventually released Wu on bail set at NT$400,000.

Following the investigation's completion, prosecutors charged Wu with selling, distributing, and possessing with intent to sell and distribute Category 3 and Category 4 narcotics, in addition to forgery under the Criminal Code. The prosecution is seeking a 12-year prison term and NT$13 million in fines.