7 detained when psychiatric medication ring is busted in Guangzhou

Police recently detained seven suspects after busting a gang accused of illegally producing and selling controlled psychiatric medicines, mainly targeting students in the Panyu district of South China's Guangdong provincial capital, Guangzhou.

The detainees include the two suspected gang heads, a male surnamed Chen, 33, and a female surnamed Li, 30.

More than 7,000 pills of controlled psychiatric medicines were seized after police swept through an underground den in a special operation in Panyu district earlier this year, a statement released by Guangzhou's Panyu district Bureau of Public Security said on Thursday.

Local police immediately set up a special task force to focus on investigating the case after locals informed them in March that a gang was selling controlled psychiatric medicines through Sina Weibo, WeChat and QQ chat rooms.

Local college, middle and primary school students were the major sales targets of the gang, as they claimed the medicines could help make the students become "cleverer" and would help them get high scores in examinations, the statement said.

After months of investigation, police found the "clever medicines" were actually central nervous system stimulants that would harm the health of the students taking the pills.

This is the first time local police cracked down on a case involving producing and selling controlled psychiatric medicines in the southern metropolis, the statement said.

After they were detained, Chen and Li admitted to have produced and sold the controlled psychiatric medicines.