A man in Chiayi County has been sent to prosecutors after police and coast guard investigators found a working modified handgun and more than a hundred rounds hidden in flower pots.

• Investigators acted on a tip early this year that the man, surnamed Wu, was holding illegal guns and ammunition.
• A joint team from the coast guard's Chiayi investigation unit and local police watched him for weeks before moving in during March.
• The weapons were wrapped in plastic wrap and waterproof bags and buried inside flower pots — a modified pistol, gun parts, and over 140 rounds including dum-dum bullets.
• Lab tests have now confirmed the gun can kill, which turns the case into a serious weapons charge.

Outlook: Wu now faces prosecution in Chiayi under Taiwan's gun and ammunition control law, which carries heavy prison time for possessing a lethal firearm.