China will launch a nationwide campaign to fight illegal drug
trafficking in August.
The five-month crackdown will target sales and production of
drugs as well as money laundering, said Yang Fengrui, director of
the Ministry of Public Security's narcotics department.
The drive aims to stop up sources of drugs and curb an increase
in the number of drug users.
"While destroying drug trafficking networks, narcotics
departments will work to cut off the channels of drug dealing and
shut down illegal labs," Yang said at a press conference on
Wednesday.
Entertainment venues where drugs are sold or used will be given
penalties and drug dealers will be severely punished, he said.
Additional efforts will be made to block the major drug
trafficking channels, Yang said.
These include land routes from Myanmar to Kunming in Yunnan
Province and waterways from Xiamen in Fujian
Province to Jinmen. Sea routes from Guangzhou, Yantian and Shekou
ports in Guangdong
Province and Dalian Port in Liaoning
Province will also be targeted.
Several cities have been identified as major drug distribution
and transfer stations, including Kunming and Dali in southwest
China's?Yunnan Province and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in south
China's?Guangdong Province.
China is facing great pressure from imported drugs and from the
multitude of sources within the country, Yang said.
"Drugs from overseas continue to flow into the country by
various illegal means while the domestic production and sale of
drugs are also rampant," he said.
The number of drug users in the country has been steadily rising
for years while the types of drugs used have multiplied, especially
at some entertainment places in large and medium cities, said
Yang.
The Ministry of Public Security reports that law enforcement
departments had registered more than a million drug users by the
end of 2003 and over 2,200 counties and municipalities had handled
drug-related cases. Robberies and thefts from drug problems are on
the rise, constituting a threat to public safety.
As part of the crackdown, narcotics investigators will tighten
partnerships with banks and investigate the financial aspects of
drug-related crimes to fight money laundering, Yang said.
The country will also strengthen international cooperation to
combat cross-border drug trafficking, Yang stressed.
Substantial progress has been made in Yunnan Province, which is
working with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to curb
trafficking, said provincial Vice Governor Li Yunbai. Since 1998,
13 overseas illegal drug-processing plants have been eradicated and
55 major overseas drug traffickers have been arrested.
Yunnan is located near the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos
and close to the Golden Triangle, a major international supply
source. It is thus of critical importance for Yunnan police to
intensify international cooperation projects, said Li.
(China Daily July 30, 2004)