at the Spring Scream-related music festivals in the area of Kenting National Park, Pingtung County, in southern Taiwan. More than 1,000 police officers were assigned to the area to help maintain order on rotations over the past two days. They reported the influx of more than 300,000 revelers, including more than 100,000 on Saturday and an additional 200,000 yesterday.
Despite stern warnings from the Pingtung County Government officials, some of the partygoers to the various concerts were still were arrested for using or possessing illegal drugs.
Helped with well-trained sniffer dogs, police found drugs at two “home parties” held by 45 people at rented houses, and a couple using drugs inside their vehicle at a parking lot. In all, fourteen of the participants were detained for using for possessing illegal drugs.
A senior police officer said that there was a significant drop in drug-related arrests because of the advance warnings from the county government and the police department. The number of detainees for drug use or possession was down from the arrest of 120 suspects during last year’s music festival, although the number of revelers showed a sharp increase.
The officer noted that the majority of the revelers, who came from all around the island, went to Hengchun township and the Kenting National Park for the music festival. But there was also a small number of people taking advantage of the three-day holidays to go to the area to hold private parties where drugs were traded and used.
Aside from the drug arrests, orderliness was maintained at the dozens of concerts, which featured several hundred performers and lasted into the early morning without accidents or mishaps, he added.
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