Prosecutor-Police-Mafia Collusion Stains Soil: Former Director-Prosecutor Chen Zheng-da Indicted for Dashu "Artificial Waste Mountain" Case, Exposing Co-existence of Judicial Privilege and Soil Syndicate Black Gold

In mid-January 2026, the Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office indicted 20 individuals, including Chen Zheng-da, a former director-prosecutor of the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office, and Huang Wen-hung, former police-friend station chief of the Renwu Police Precinct, in a shocking case of "prosecutor-police-mafia" collusion in illegal waste soil dumping. Investigations revealed that Chen, following his release on parole from a previous conviction, capitalized on his judicial and local networks to form an illegal waste disposal syndicate with Huang. Starting in October 2024, the syndicate seized control of slopelands in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, operating an unlicensed dump site without water conservation approvals. By colluding with authorized soil recycling plants to falsify manifest logs and tracking documents, they directed dozens of dump trucks daily to discard construction debris and toxic soil on the hillsides, creating a massive artificial waste mountain within months and netting nearly NT$50 million in illicit gains. This severe corruption case involving a former high-ranking prosecutor severely damaged public trust in the judicial and police systems.