|
Fight on illegal drugs strengthened
By Cao Desheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-30 02:14
China will launch a nationwide campaign to fight illegal drug trafficking
next month.
The five-month intensive crackdown will target sales and production of drugs
as well as money laundering, said a senior official with Ministry of Public
Security.
The drive aims to clog up sources of drugs and curb the increase of drug
users, said Yang Fengrui, director of the ministry's anti-drug department.
"While destroying drug trafficking networks, anti-drug departments will work
to cut off the channels of drug dealing and smash drug-processing hideouts,"
Yang told a press conference on Wednesday.
Entertainment venues where drugs are sold or used will be given penalties and
drug dealers will be seriously punished, he said.
Additional efforts will be made to block the major drug trafficking channels,
Yang said.
They include land routes from Myanmar to Kunming in Yunnan Province through
the city of Ruili and counties of Zhenkang and Menglian in the province and
water ways from Xiamen in Fujian Province to Jinmen. Other water routes lead
overseas from Guangzhou, Yantian and Shekou ports in Guangdong Province and
Dalian Port in Jijlin Province.
Several cities have been listed as the major drug distribution and transfer
stations, including Kunming and Dali in Southwest China's Yunnan Province and
Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province.
China is undergoing great pressure from drugs imported from overseas and the
multitude of drug sources in the country, Yang said.
"Overseas drugs keep flowing into the country by various illegal means while
production and sales of drugs are also rampant in the country," he said.
The number of drug users in the country keeps rising year on year and the
types of drugs also multiplies, especially at some entertainment places in big
and medium cities, said Yang.
Statistics from Ministry of Public Security show that more than 1.05 million
drug users were registered by law enforcement departments by the end of 2003.
More than 2,200 counties and municipalities have dealt with drug-related
cases.
Robberies and thefts from drug problems are on the rise, constituting a
threat to social security, the director noted.
Besides crack-down efforts, anti-drug departments will intensify partnerships
with banks and investigate the economic results of drug-related crimes to fight
against money laundering, Yang said.
Meantime, China will strengthen international co-operation to combat
cross-border drug trafficking, Yang stressed.
Substantial achievements have been made in Yunnan Province, which is working
with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Viet Nam to curb trafficking, said Li Yunbai,
vice-governor of the province.
Thanks to the concerted efforts, 13 overseas underground drug-processing
plants have been eradicated and 55 major overseas drug traffickers have been
arrested since 1998.
Since Yunnan is close to the Golden Triangle -- one of the world's major
sources of drugs located where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet --
it is of crucial importance for the Yunnan police to intensify international
co-operation projects, said Li.
Li is also the director of the provincial anti-drug
department.
|
