China Arrests More Than 60,000 People On Drug Related Crimes And Seizes 11 Tons Of Drugs

China Arrests More Than 60,000 People  

 On Drug Related Crimes And Seizes 11 Tons Of Drugs

Chinese police have arrested more than 60,500 people that they say are involved in drug related crimes. During these arrests, officials also seized an estimated 11.4 tonnes of narcotics. MSN reports that the raids are part of the country’s campaign that they call ‘Ban drugs in hundreds of cities.’
According to officials, from late September to December of last year, Chinese police dealt with 52,800 drug cases. Officials will continue with the campaign until April of this year. So far, 180,000 drug users have been punished, while 55,679 people have been put in “compulsory rehabilitation.”
There has been a great increase of methamphetamines, ketamine, and ecstasy in China. These increases have influenced China’s new fight against drug abuse and sales.
August saw law enforcement raid 2 Kolegas, a popular venue. The raid saw more than 10 arrested, four of whom were foreigners.
China‘s drug problem historically has been contained in coastal and border regions. The southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan have had the highest number drug related issues. Now the problem is moving inland. The biggest issues are in people under the age of 35, reports the Guardian.
Reports issued in 2014 by the U.N. Office show use of synthetic drugs have increased across the globe. The largest increase has been in Asia. The report states that between 2010 and 2012, global seizures of methamphetamine doubled, “primarily due to the rise of seizures in East and South-East Asia and North America.”
Authorities have teamed up with Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand in an attempt to stem the flow of drugs from Southeast Asia. Several celebrities have been arrested due to this teamwork. Jaycee Chan, the son of actor Jackie Chan, was court ordered to 6 months in jail and $2,000 yuan in fines due to drug charges earlier this month.
Law enforcement in China seems focused on catching celebrities, because their high profiles sends warnings out to other drug users or sellers quickly. Actor Gao Hu, 40, was recently detained. He was arrested for possession of marijuana and methamphetamines, along with three others. Actor Zhang Mo, who is the son of director Zhang Guoli, was arrested, as well as Chen Wanning, who is a popular online author. Chen reportedly admitted to being a meth user.
Though the vast majority of the arrests have been Asians, foreigners have also been arrested. Back in June, China Daily reported that drug-related crimes that include foreigners had increased 15 percent since 2013.