Guangzhou police have arrested four members of the gang, including a man surnamed Qin, "A Min", "Xiong Zai" and a woman surnamed Li and have confiscated 300 kg of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice", 18.5 kg of ecstasy, commonly known as "head-shaking" pills, and two tons of raw materials for the manufacture of narcotics, police sources said.

Guangzhou police also raided two ecstasy processing plants, one narcotics warehouse, two narcotics storage facilities, an "ice" manufacturing plant, seizing seven pistols, 153 bullets and 1.5 kg of explosives from the gang.

In April of this year, the drug unit of the Guangzhou police bureau discovered the existence of a gang, headed by Qin, which is suspected of making and trafficking drugs. The gang had a drug-processing plant in the Haizhu district of Guangzhou.

The drug unit discovered that Qin instigated "A Min" and "Xiong Zai", both natives of Guangzhou, to manufacture head-shaking pills.

At noon on May 7, police seized Qin, "A Min" and "Xiong Zai" when the latter two were turning over a batch of ecstasy to Qin. Police also confiscated a jeep containing 1,590.4 grams of benzedrine drugs along with more than 70,000 yuan (US$8,464) in cash.

The police also searched the gang's processing plants and drug storage facility, confiscating large quantities of muriatic acid, red phosphorus and tools used in the manufacture of drugs.

Police discovered that the woman surnamed Li was in charge of purchasing the raw materials and arranging for the sale of the drugs.

Last mid-October, Qin said that a Hong Kong man known as "A Lao" proposed that Qin make and sell drugs. Qin was later introduced to "A Xin", a native of Guangning County of Guangdong Province, who knew how to make "ice". "A Xin" produced 600 kg of "ice" from late November through early December. Qin and Hong Kong's "A Lao" were each given 300 kg.

Qin stored his 300 kg of "ice" at his home in Guangzhou.

Police are still searching for "A Xin", the "ice" producer.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2003)