A local election bribery case in Taiwan's New Taipei City shows prosecutors moving early and hard on vote-buying ahead of the local elections — bad news for candidates counting on the old playbook of gift boxes.

• A borough chief candidate in Xinzhuang allegedly handed gift boxes of soy sauce, masks, plastic wrap and toothpaste to a housing complex's management committee in exchange for support.
• Prosecutors and police raided the candidate's home and those of his local vote brokers at dawn, bringing in 15 people for questioning.
• A court set bail at NT$300,000 for the candidate and restricted his residence; two brokers were also bailed, and the other 12 were released.
• Prosecutors had asked to hold the candidate without contact, arguing he might destroy evidence or coordinate stories with witnesses.
• The warning from prosecutors is blunt: cash or any item of value offered to sway a vote counts as bribery.

Outlook: Expect more dawn raids and quick prosecutions as Taiwan's local election season heats up.