BEIJING: Chinese customs has confiscated 15.6 tonnes of smuggled drugs since 2014, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
The drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and opium, were confiscated in 1,091 cases involving more than 1,055 suspects.
Most were discovered in checks on tourists, postal packages and courier deliveries, accounting for 474 cases.
Though fewer smuggling cases were carried out through freight transport, these cases involved large quantities of drugs. For example, Guangzhou customs in south China’s Guangdong Province uncovered two smuggling cases through freight transport, seizing 339 kilograms of methamphetamine in total.
Smuggling channels have become more hidden. Shanghai customs intercepted cocaine concealed in red wine, and Qingdao customs found cocaine in plastic bags sewn into underwear.
Smugglers have been hiring or coercing pregnant women, minors, the elderly, and college-educated women to carry drugs.
China has been active in global cooperation efforts to fight drug smuggling.
A global customs enforcement operation, codenamed “SKY-NET” organized in 2012 by the World Customs Organization in close cooperation with the GAC, had resulted in the discovery of 18.6 tonnes of illicit goods by the end of 2015.
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has been observed globally on June 26 since 1987.
