Former LoL Champion Toyz Deported to Hong Kong After Parole

Former League of Legends world champion Kurtis “Toyz” Lau Wai-kin was released on parole and deported from Taiwan to Hong Kong on Nov. 3 after serving more than two years of a four-year-and-two-month sentence for trafficking cannabis vape cartridges.

Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency took Lau into custody after his release from Changhua Prison and carried out the deportation. He is barred from reentering Taiwan for a period that authorities did not specify.

The case involved Lau’s purchase of 500 cannabis vape cartridges containing THC for NT$600,000 in 2020. The cartridges were later distributed for sale through intermediaries. Police traced the supply chain to Lau during an investigation in 2021 and arrested him in September that year. He spent about two months in custody before being released on bail.

A district court sentenced Lau to four years and two months in prison in November 2022. He appealed, but a higher court upheld the sentence in December 2023. Taiwan’s Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in April 2024, making the conviction final. Lau began serving his sentence on May 16, 2024.

Taiwanese corrections authorities approved Lau’s parole on Oct. 19, 2026. A court authorized supervision during his parole the following day, but prosecutors ordered his deportation instead of placing him under supervision.

Lau’s marriage in Taiwan did not prevent his removal. Taiwanese authorities reported in January 2026 that he had married entertainer Hsiang Chih-hsuan, who is also known as Shinozaki Hyun, while he was incarcerated. If Lau applies to return to Taiwan to live with his spouse, officials will review his residency application under rules for residents of Hong Kong and Macau.

Hours after arriving in Hong Kong, Lau returned to social media with the two-character Chinese post “報數,” asking followers to check in. The post received thousands of comments, including requests for him to resume livestreaming. Lau has not confirmed whether he plans to return to streaming or competitive League of Legends.

Before his conviction, Lau was the mid laner for the Taipei Assassins. The team defeated South Korea’s Azubu Frost 3-1 in the 2012 League of Legends World Championship final. Lau’s performance on Orianna was later commemorated with a TPA Orianna skin honoring the championship team.

Lau retired from professional play in 2015 and later worked in coaching and team management before becoming an online content creator. In December 2023, an onstage protest interrupted his appearance as a presenter at a Taiwanese esports awards ceremony. He later smashed a championship ring during a livestream and announced that he was leaving esports.

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Reviewed and fact-checked by Alex Panasenko on November 4.