Drug busts on rise in Mekong region

Chinese police cracked more than 2,600 drug cases and arrested more than 2,900 suspects during a two-month multinational drug control operation in the southern border region.

The Second Safe Mekong Joint Operation ran from Jan 12 to March 12 with the assistance of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.

The number of cases increased by nearly 70 percent and the number of suspects arrested rose 35 percent since the first operation in early 2013, according to An Guojun, deputy secretary-general of the China National Narcotics Control Commission.