Dealing With Drugs

By+yin+Pumin

Chinese authorities issued guidelines for the countrys anti-narcotics campaign on July 6， pledging to incorporate this daunting task into the countrys national security strategy.

Jointly released by the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and the State Council， Chinas cabinet， the guidelines call for a “peoples war” to stop the spread of drugs. according to it， the number of drug users should grow at a much slower rate by 2020 and a more efficient drug rehab system will be in place by then.

“It is the first time that provisions for narcotics have been put forward by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council，”said liu yuejin， Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau with the Ministry of Public Security （MPS）.

liu said that the document comes as a response to the severe drug situation at home and abroad.

According to official statistics， China now has 2.58 million registered drug users. It was also estimated that narcotics caused a direct economic loss of more than 100 billion yuan（$16.19 billion） each year.

The MPS said that anti-narcotics officers uncovered 151，000 drug-related crimes and arrested 168，000 suspects across the country in 2013， up more than 20 percent year on year. last December， police in south Chinas Guangdong Province raided villages producing drugs in Lufeng. They confiscated nearly 3 tons of drugs at the scene and smashed more than 200 drug-producing dens.

In the first five months of this year alone， courts around the country sentenced 39，762 criminals for drug-related offences， up 27.38 percent year on year， the Supreme Peoples Court announced before the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking that fell on June 26.

A grave situation

In an interview with national broadcaster China Central Television， liu revealed that Chinas drug population is actually well over 10 million， as the internationally accepted ratio between registered and unregistered drug users stands at 1 to 5.

China has also seen a rising number of teenage drug abuse cases， with more rural teenagers—who have been left in the countryside by their migrant parents working in cities—partaking of illicit substances， liu said. He added that teenagers account for more than 70 percent of the countrys drug users.

according to liu， synthesized drugs such as methamphetamine and ecstasy have gained popularity among young users.

Statistics from the MPS show about 75.1 percent of new drug users in 2013 were using synthetic drugs and among them 75 percent were below the age of 35 with the youngest being only 8.endprint

“Compared to drugs derived from plants， synthetic drugs are cheaper and fasteracting， which make them attractive to young people，” said Du Xinzhong， a Zhejiang-based drug expert.

Du said that many young users he has been in contact with believe synthetic drugs have lower risks compared to other drugs. However， in fact， such drugs can be highly addictive and have severe health effects on users， Du warned.

“Synthetic drugs come in many varieties， which make it difficult for the authorities to crack down. Online sales also add difficulties to tracking drug trafficking，” Du explained.

In recent years， the Internet has become a major channel for drug trade. From March 15 to early april， police across the country arrested more than 2，000 people on suspicion of using the Internet to engage in drugrelated crimes， a 10-percent increase from the previous year， according to the MPS.

Sun li， vice President of the Beijing Higher Peoples Court， said that drug users are using mobile messaging services such as WeChat or QQ to contact each other， bargain on prices and arrange meet-ups. “all the transactions are conducted on the Internet， and traffickers usually transport the drugs through express mails，” he said.

In May， police in Panshi of northeast Chinas Jilin Province busted two drug trafficking rings that used the Internet to engage in the production and distribution of drugs， arresting 48 suspects and confiscating 10 kg of methamphetamine， two guns， 10 rounds of ammunition and three cars. The amount of money involved was more than 10 million yuan （$1.63 million）， according to a police statement.

liu acknowledged that its difficult to collect and obtain evidence on the Internet drug trade. “Sometimes， when we uncovered crimes， the chat information or transaction records for drug users had been lost or deliberately destroyed，” he said.

according to liu， police authorities will tighten supervision on the Internet， use hitech measures to enhance intelligencegathering and offer rewards for tip-offs.

However， liu admitted that Chinas antidrug police forces are understaffed. “There are only 20，000 anti-drug officers nationwide， and they cannot handle all of their heavy and complex duties. In addition， the equipment and infrastructure for narcotics control are outdated，” he said.

Hong Daode， a law professor at the Beijing-based China University of Political Science and law， said， “The key to eliminating drug-related crimes is to raise peoples awareness of law. We must create a social atmosphere against drugs， especially among juveniles.”endprint

International cooperation

according to liu， China still faces a grim situation in the fight against drugs from abroad.

In 2013， Chinese police uncovered 1，491 transnational drug smuggling cases， up 14.5 percent from the previous year， according to the MPS. Of those， 138 cases involved more than 10 kg of drugs.

The cases involved countries in Southeast asia， africa and Europe as well as the United States， with the suspects nabbed mainly in yunnan and Guangdong provinces.

MPS figures show that more than 90 percent of heroin and methamphetamine tablets available on Chinas black market come from Southeast asia.

last year， police in yunnan seized 5.37 tons of heroin and 8.95 tons of methamphetamine， smuggled in over the provinces border with Myanmar.

Cases of drug smuggling have also risen sharply on the border between China and viet Nam. authorities in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous Region uncovered 3，224 cases last year， seizing 415 kg of heroin， up 100 percent from 2011.

In March 2013， police from China and laos uncovered a major drug smuggling case along the Mekong River. They seized a boat， five suspects and 597.5 kg of methamphetamine， as well as 139，000 yuan （$22，675） worth of the traffickers illegal gains.

The following May， police in Guangdong Province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous Region cooperated with Tajikistans anti-drug department to break up a drug trafficking ring. Police captured two armed suspects and seized 3.53 kg of heroin smuggled from the Golden Crescent， which encompasses the mountain valleys of Iran， afghanistan and Pakistan， and confiscated $15，000 of drug funds.

last year， China exchanged 700 pieces of intelligence involving drug-related crimes with other countries and conducted joint operations to bust major transnational drug smuggling rings.

Song Zengliang， another senior police officer with the MPS Narcotics Control Bureau， revealed that they also broke a number of crime rings and extradited drug lords to China to stand trial， including Chen Guoming. Chen was suspected of running a drug trafficking ring in Guangdong and was brought back after spending six years on the run in New Zealand and Fiji.

China， laos， Myanmar and Thailand have also set up eight liaison offices at border areas to facilitate investigations. They have launched more than 10 joint operations a year to combat drugs in the Mekong River area.

In addition， China has signed agreements with 20 countries and regions to fight drugs and boosted law enforcement cooperation with 30 countries and regions on intelligence sharing and cooperation. It has also arranged for annual meetings with other countries including the United States， Russia， Thailand， Myanmar and viet Nam to combat the scourge.

Hong with the China University of Political Science and law said that drug traffickers have become more violent and sophisticated in their activities in recent years. “The key to fighting cross-border drug trafficking is to upgrade technical expertise， such as setting up satellites near border areas to collect evidence，” he added.

Hong said that it is also necessary to establish an international data-sharing platform to blacklist people suspected of drug-related crimes so they can be captured when passing through borders.endprint