Beijing solves 60 major drug crimes

BEIJING police have solved over 60 drug-related crimes from the beginning of this year until July, local police told the Global Times.

Some 80 suspects have been arrested and over 300 drug abusers inspected. A total of 9.3 kilograms of various types of drugs have been seized by police. In July, Beijing police received a tip- off concerning a batch of drugs about to be transferred in an eastern suburb of Beijing.

They quickly conducted an investigation into the case and launched an operation, seizing 6.2 kilograms of drugs packed in wine bottles at a highway service area. Three suspects were later detained in a cross- provincial arrest.

Another case of drug trafficking was reported by local residents living in a northern district of Beijing in mid-July. A man surnamed Lu was put under surveillance and police soon discovered his drug trafficking routes and areas.

Lu was arrested with 122 grams of drugs seized at the scene on July 17, and is now under police detention. Three local drug gangs have been dismantled in the first half of this year, Beijing police told the Global Times on Monday.

Last year, Beijing reported over 900 drug-related crimes in total, arresting some 5,000 people and seizing 70 kilograms of various types of drugs, local authorities revealed.

A cross-border cocaine trafficking case, originating in South America and going through Beijing to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, was busted in September 2018 by the Beijing police, with a total of 24 kilograms of cocaine seized.

According to data from the 2019 China Drug Report, nationwide drugrelated crimes stood at 83,000 last year. Over 113,000 suspects were arrested, 65 tons of drugs seized, and 617,000 drug abusers inspected.

The main sources of drugs include the Golden Triangle (the area that overlaps Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar), Southwest Asia, and Latin America. Imports of meth crystals and ketamine have risen sharply, occupying a leading position in China’s drug market.