Taiwan destroyed a large haul of smuggled heated-tobacco products, a warning shot for anyone hoping to profit from price gaps in the newly legal market.

• A yacht named the Thousand Sunny was caught bringing in 12,000 packs of Japanese heated tobacco worth around NT$1.65 million.
• The captain and a crew member sailed to Ishigaki Island and hid the goods under the boat's seats to slip past inspection.
• Coast guard officers were tipped off and boarded the yacht the moment it entered Yilan's Wushi harbour.
• The motive was simple money: Japanese prices are lower than Taiwan's, and heated tobacco had only just been legalised locally.
• All the seized packs were burned at a Yilan incineration plant under government supervision.

Outlook: Expect more smuggling attempts and tighter port checks while the price gap between Japan and Taiwan stays wide.