2,534 arrested in Mekong anti-drug campaign

BEIJING - Police from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have arrested 2,534 suspects and seized about 9.78 tonnes of drugs during a two-month anti-drug campaign, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday.

Police confiscated 38 firearms, 1,125 bullets, drug money worth about $3.6 million and 260 tonnes of chemicals used to produce drugs during the campaign, Liu Yuejin, director general of the ministry's Narcotics Control Bureau, said at a press conference.

Police also solved 1,784 drug-related cases during the campaign, which lasted from April 20 to June 20, Liu said.

The Mekong River, which flows through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, is a major trade route in southeast Asia.