South China's Guangdong Province seized about 300 kilograms of ice (smokable form of cocaine) and 10 kilograms of heroine during a special crack-down on drug crimes recently.
During the Chunlei (spring thunder) Campaign which took place from March 24 to April 1, police also seized large amounts of other drugs including marijuana and fantastic pills.
Police investigated a total of 104,679 suspected venues in the province, which borders on Hong Kong and Macao, and detained a total of 1,072 suspects for further investigation during the campaign.
The campaign saw great success in the cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan and Shunde in the Pearl River Delta. A large number of suspects, including some from Hong Kong and Macao, were detained or arrested in these cities during the campaign.
Despite the achievement, a senior provincial police officer said his province would continue its efforts to seek expansion of international co-operation in cracking down on drugs and cross-border crimes in the future.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Liang Guoju, director-general of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security, also promised to take firm and effective measures to fight drug crimes, which pose a threat to the prosperous province's economic construction.
In the past three years, the amount of ice and fantastic pills seized by Guangdong police has increased by more than 10 times.
And the number of drug addicts, particularly the number of young drug addicts, has greatly increased in recent years, threatening the province's social order.
To fight drug crimes, Liang urged local residents to report to the police any information that they hear that would help in the crack down on drug crimes.
The Provincial Bureau of Public Security has decided to offer large rewards to people who provide clues that help solve drug crimes, starting this month.
Anyone who provides a lead that results in a seizure of at least 1 kilogram of drugs will be awarded at least 300,000 yuan (US$36,150), which is equal to the price of a commercial apartment in Guangzhou's downtown area.
In addition to telephone hotlines, the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security has also opened a special 110 mailbox service for people to report crimes, starting this month, Liang said.
People do not have to pay postage if they send clues to the special 110 police mailbox.
(China Daily 04/09/2001)
