China and Vietnam to step up fight against narcotics

Four members of a gang caught making drugs at home. Photo provided by police.

Chinese police uncovered 960 of the trafficking cases and arrested 1,196 suspects, including eight Vietnamese. They also seized 2,299 kg of drugs, including 63 kg of heroin and 88.4 kg of methamphetamine, and confiscated 1.27 million yuan ($200,000) in so-called dirty money.

The ministry said that during the campaign it has set up a command center in Guangxi to collect evidence and opened a hotline to exchange intelligence with Vietnam. It also directed joint actions to combat drug trafficking.

To date, Chinese police have exchanged 28 items of valuable information with their Vietnamese counterparts for measures to be taken to combat such crimes, the ministry said.

It has also deployed police from 17 provinces and regions, including Guangxi, Guangdong and Yunnan, to take part in joint actions.

Law enforcement officers from both countries have also intensified security checks on key roads, at airports and ports on the border to curb drug smuggling.

The ministry said that apart from drugs being trafficked to China, many synthetic drugs have been smuggled to Vietnam through the border area.

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn