China sees 30% decline in drug-related prosecutions since 2025

BEIJING -- More than 46,000 individuals were prosecuted over involvement in drug-related crimes from January 2025 to May 2026, a 30 percent year-on-year drop, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said Thursday.

During the same period, procuratorates nationwide approved the arrests of roughly 29,000 drug crime suspects, marking a 36 percent drop from the proceeding period.

Meanwhile, the SPP urged sustained anti-drug enforcement as cross-border drug smuggling spurred offenses linked to novel drugs and abuse of non-scheduled addictive substances.

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is marked on Friday.