Guangdong reinforces campaign to battle production and distribution

Guangdong province plans to step up its efforts to combat the production and sale of drugs in the coming months.

Guo Shaobo, deputy director-general of the southern province's Public Security Department, said police will further advance the Leiting Anti-Drug Operation Campaign in the second half of the year. The campaign began at the beginning of last year.

"More special police operations will be launched to crack down on drug production and sales in Lufeng and Huilai counties in the eastern part of Guangdong and related areas where drug crimes are taking place," Guo told a news conference in the provincial capital of Guangzhou on Wednesday.

Lufeng and Huilai have become two major drug production bases on the Chinese mainland.

Methamphetamine produced in Lufeng used to account for more than half of the mainland's total.

Meanwhile, ketamine produced in Huidong, another county in eastern Guangdong, used to represent more than one-third of the country's total.

"Top priorities will be cracking down on drug production bases, gangs, drug trafficking networks and channels," Guo said.

"The move aims to further weaken Guangdong's position as a major production base, transfer station and distribution center for drugs in the country."

In the first five months of this year, police busted 467 drug gangs, up 29 percent from the same period last year, and closed 105 drug production locations, an increase of 32.2 percent.

During the same period, a total of 10,646 suspects were detained, up 15.6 percent year-on-year, and police cracked 9,705 drug cases, a rise of 10.2 percent.

In special operations simultaneously launched in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangmen and Heyuan, police detained 51 suspects and drug addicts when they busted a major drug gang and destroyed a secret drug production base on May 21. Additionally, 920,000 yuan ($148,000) in cash and four vehicles used to transport drugs were seized.

Guangdong police have also enhanced efforts to fight drug crimes involving foreigners and residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

Police detained 255 foreigners and 464 residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao from January last year to May this year.

Guangdong has more than 562,000 registered drug addicts.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn