Chinese police nab 17 in drug trafficking bust

KUNMING - Police from the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, as well as Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have jointly busted a major drug trafficking ring, catching 17 suspects and seizing 43.7 kg of drugs, local authorities said Monday.

Police in Longling county, Yunnan, were tipped-off in early January that a drug trafficking gang led by a man surnamed Pu had been trafficking drugs to Guangxi via Yunnan.

An investigation showed that the gang had been buying drugs abroad, then transported them to the city of Baise in Guangxi, and traded them with a local drug gang led by a man surnamed Wei.

Police from Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou formed a task force to jointly investigate the case.

On April 12, more than 100 policemen were deployed in Yunnan's Longling and Dehong prefecture, and Guangxi's Nanning, Baise and Binyang. They apprehended 17 suspects and seized 43.7 kg of drugs and seven vehicles.

Further investigation is underway.

Yunnan, bordering the Golden Triangle, is a major front in China's battle against drug crime.