Police in New Taipei launched a large-scale raid on organized crime groups after finding signs that foreign forces may be working with local gangs, a worrying development for Taiwan's internal security ahead of elections.

• Police sent over 600 officers to raid 146 locations tied to major gangs, including the Bamboo Union, Four Seas, and Heavenly Way groups.
• The crackdown followed two cross-border crime cases that raised suspicion of foreign actors teaming up with local gangs, and led to 13 gang members and 301 associates being arrested, plus over 250 other criminal cases uncovered.
• Separately, police broke up a gang scheme that lured a runaway teenager into fraud and street violence, then beat him and dumped him in the mountains after a dispute over money; the ringleader and three others are now jailed pending trial.
• The police chief said gang crime is increasingly organized across borders and remotely directed, and vowed continued crackdowns to stop gangs from recruiting minors.

Outlook: Expect continued joint police operations targeting gang networks as authorities worry about foreign interference blending with local organized crime.