The four men, led by a 49-year-old suspect named Lin Chien-hung, were uncle and cousins, Yunlin County Police Station chief Tai Tien-yueh said.

According to Tai, more than 60 policemen, tracking the suspects for more than three months on a tip, rushed to 17 recreational spots and playgrounds in Yunlin, Chiayi and Pingtung counties where they arrested the 10 men who were caught trying to sell a variety of illegal narcotics to customers. One accomplice is still at large, Tai added.

Police officers also seized 459.2 grams of heroine, 56.8 grams of amphetamine, 0.68 grams of FM2, 0.4 grams of ecstasy powder and two electronic scales, as well as small distribution bags and pipes for smoking marijuana or other drugs.

Police authorities will continue cracking down on drug traffickers in their current spring raid against drug related crimes, as police records show that as many as 85 percent of burglaries in Yunlin County were committed by repeat drug addicts, Tai said. Many local farmers in the largely rural county therefore fell victim to this type of crime, he noted.

The 10 men have been turned over to the Yunlin Prosecutors Office for further investigation.