TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A yacht registered in Sierra Leone and valued at NT$39 million (US$1.26 million) will be auctioned next month after it was caught being used by a drug smuggling gang, reports said Tuesday (June 20).

When the Coast Guard spotted the Aquarius off the coast of Kaohsiung City’s Qieding District last November, the four men on board first cut a rope towing a life raft and then tried to escape, the Liberty Times reported. An inspection found 842.2 kilograms of ketamine on the raft with a street value of at least NT$2 billion.

The investigation concluded that a Taiwanese man surnamed Shen (沈) picked up three Chinese nationals near the Taiwan-held island of Dongyin last October. They took turns sailing the Aquarius to Cambodia for repairs before picking up 38 packets of ketamine near Thailand and setting course for Kaohsiung.

After the four suspects were detained and charged, the yacht showed signs of neglect, leading prosecutors to consider the possibility of an auction. Bidding will start at NT$16.8 million when the Kaohsiung branch of the Administrative Enforcement Agency manages the auction on July 4. Interested parties can arrange for a visit of the yacht during the morning of June 30.