One hundred and sixty members of the Hsinchu district prosecutors' office and the bureau of investigation conducted a simultaneous search of Hsinchu City's first and third precincts yesterday.

Fifty people, including an officer surnamed Hsieh and six other suspects, were brought back for questioning on allegations that the seven officers covered up for junkies and sold drugs.

Investigators learned about police involved in selling drugs from drug users during another probe on drug trafficking.

Drugs were found in Hsieh's office and residence. I

nvestigation revealed that he had started his enterprise while serving in the drug enforcement unit.

He had withheld some of the drugs they found during investigations to use later as payments for his addict informants.

Hsieh also altered investigative results for some drug traffickers, from the felony charge of trafficking to less serious charges of using drugs.

He eventually made contact with an upstream distributor and started peddling.

The investigation remains ongoing as investigators probe the possibility of other accomplices.