Cigarette smuggling : China Airlines at the heart of the scandal

China Airlines finds itself in the midst of an illegal trafficking scandal after it was revealed that thousands of packets of duty-free cigarettes were regularly sold to guards accompanying the Taiwanese President on her travels abroad.

This smuggling, revealed earlier this week, seems to have continued for years, both under the chairmanship of Tsai Ing-wen and his predecessor Ma Ying-jeou.

The Taiwanese intelligence director resigned this week after it was revealed that an agent accompanying the president on a state visit abroad was seen on Monday trying to smuggle nearly 10,000 boxes of cigarettes.

The scandal comes as Tsai seeks re-election for a second term in January’s presidential election against Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, a member of Kuomintang, a party close to Beijing.

China Airlines President Hsieh Shih-chien apologized, saying that the company would discontinue its pre-order service for duty-free products for future presidential trips.

To date, two agents have been arrested for their alleged involvement in this traffic and the government has requested an internal investigation by China Airlines.