Traffickers increasingly go online to deal drugs

Organizing drug deals online and using couriers to smuggle them has become increasingly popular among drug traffickers in China, especially since the novel coronavirus outbreak, a deputy chief prosecutor said.

More and more traffickers are doing business on the internet. They then use human carriers recruited online or courier services to distribute drugs. They also use thirdparty payment platforms or virtual currency to get paid. That way, traffickers can better conceal their identities and avoid being associated with drugs or drug money.

The new trends have made hunting drug traffickers more challenging, Chen Guoqing, deputy chief prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said on Friday.

"The majority of drug-related cases prosecuted in recent years are related to the internet. The drug traffickers often use nicknames and virtual IPs online to hide their identities and locations. They also constantly delete chat histories to destroy evidence," Yuan Ming, head of the second prosecutor's office of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said on Friday. IP is an Internet Protocol address.

In 2019, prosecutors in China handled over 1,000 cases in which couriers were used in drug smuggling. Some traffickers began using errand services provided by some couriers and delivery companies to smuggle drugs within cities to avoid security checks and having to handle drugs in person, Yuan said.

"There has been a sharp increase in cases where drug traffickers use couriers to transport drugs since the novel coronavirus outbreak," Chen said. Yuan said he also noticed the trend.

Meanwhile, the rapid development of new synthetic drugs is also posing serious threats to society as they are mainly distributed in entertainment venues, Chen added.

What's more, domestic and international drug traffickers are working more closely to smuggle drugs to China via marine shipping, international couriers and human carriers. The number of drug-related crimes involving foreigners handled by Zhejiang province prosecutors in 2019 increased 187 percent year-on-year, Chen said.

Despite new challenges, China's drug control measures have been proven effective in lowering the frequency of such crimes as fewer arrests and prosecutions have been made, Chen said. "From 2019 to May 2020, prosecutors around China approved the arrests of 108,663 people for drug-related crimes, a decrease of 29.8 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, 143,294 people were prosecuted during the same period, a drop of 21.3 percent year-on-year."

The prosecutors also have worked to ensure trials for drug-related crimes are done properly. From 2019 to May 2020, prosecutors around the country ordered trials of second instance or retrials of 662 drug-related cases, some involving multiple suspects. Verdicts in 305 of them were corrected, resulting in 302 suspects receiving harsher sentences, including death in some cases, while the sentences of 76 others were reduced, Chen added.