1,100 arrested in Mekong anti-drug campaign

BEIJING - China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand police have arrested more than 1,100 suspects in 804 drug-related cases since a joint anti-drug campaign was launched in April, the Ministry of Public Security revealed on Wednesday.

A statement from the ministry said various drugs totaling 2.97 tonnes have been seized in the campaign and the frequent occurrence of drug-related crimes on the Mekong River has been effectively contained.

In one of the largest seizures, China and Myanmar police on May 12 jointly busted a Myanmarese ring engaged in smuggling methamphetamine processed in Myanmar into China. The bust was the culmination of about three months' cooperation on the case.

The police made three arrests and seized 20 kg of methamphetamine in the ring's drug processing workshop in Myanmar, according to the statement.

A pistol and two vehicles were also seized during the operation, it added.

Also on May 12, police in central China's Hunan Province and southwestern Yunnan Province arrested 35 alleged members of a major drug-trafficking gang and seized drugs with a total weight of 12 kg under the command of the headquarters of the joint anti-drug campaign.

This major gang specialized in smuggling large quantities of drugs from foreign countries and transiting it to cities like Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, for distribution.

The joint police campaign against drug trafficking, titled "Safe River," was launched in Yunnan Province on April 19. The two-month-long action was designed for drug control on the Mekong, a major Southeast Asian trading route.