More foreigners trafficking drugs

Cases of foreigners dealing illicit drugs have risen significantly and Beijing has become a consumption market rather than just a stop on the smuggling route, officials from the Beijing High People's Court said on Thursday.

The court heard 36 such drug smuggling cases in 2009, 28.5 percent more than in 2008.

In 2008, the court issued verdicts in 28 drug smuggling trials involving foreigners and seized 54 kg of drugs, 30 percent and 90 percent more respectively than 2007. Heroin and methamphetamine, known as "ice", are the dominant illicit drugs.