Former e-sports player sentenced for narcotics

Retired Hong Kong e-sports player Kurtis Lau Wai-kin (劉偉健), also known as “Toyz,” faces a jail sentence of more than four years after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against a conviction for trafficking and selling marijuana.

Lau’s prison sentence of four years and two months was in December last year upheld by the High Court, the Supreme Court verdict issued on Thursday last week said.

He was first sentenced by the Taichung District Court in 2022.

Lau was arrested and detained in 2021 for allegedly selling marijuana online, after authorities found evidence of him possessing and distributing class 2 narcotics during a raid of his home in New Taipei City.

He pled guilty during the detention period and was released by the Taichung District Court on NT$1.5 million (US$46,069) bail, court documents showed.

Lau was accused in 2020 of forming a drug ring that had bought 500 marijuana vape pods from two men for NT$600,000, which can lead to a prison sentence of up to two years.

Lau allegedly asked a gang member to hire three men to sell 200 marijuana pods. One of the men, surnamed Lee (李), then used the messaging app Telegram as a sales channel for the marijuana pods priced at NT$4,500 to NT$7,000 each.

On Aug. 9, 2021, officers from the Changhua County Police Department, disguised as buyers, placed a bid to buy 154 marijuana pods for NT$165,000 and met with Lee in Taichung to arrest him and seize the pods.

Lau underwent a forced withdrawal of 40 days that concluded on Jan. 4, 2022, while serving as a “whistle-blower” in exchange for a less severe punishment.

The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Lau on six counts related to drug dealing offenses, along with seven other people accused of assisting in the crimes.

Lau competed as a mid-laner and won the League of Legends World Championship while playing for the e-sports club Taipei Assassins in 2012, the only time a club from Taiwan had won the competition.

Following his retirement in late 2015, Lau began coaching and took up managerial roles for e-sports teams in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

He has also been active as an influencer in Taiwan.