38 suspects arrested in China-Tajikistan anti-drug campaign

BEIJING - A total of 38 suspected drug manufacturers and dealers were arrested in a China-Tajikistan anti-drug campaign, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Friday.

In the campaign, which lasted from Oct 27 to Friday, 181 kg of drugs were confiscated, including heroin, opium, marijuana and methamphetamine, said the MPS. The campaign was headquartered in Urumqi, capital of West China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Both China and Tajikistan are threatened by drugs originating in the Golden Crescent area, a major source of drugs along the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Police have noted an uptrend of drug smuggling via Xinjiang, which broke 2,047 drug cases with the arrest of 2,348 people and the seizure of 2,510 kg of drugs in 2013.

More than 5,000 police from both countries joined the campaign, which mainly targeted drug trafficking via cross-border flights and land transportation, said Wang Gang, an official with the MPS.

The MPS said the campaign created new situation in handling cross-border drug crime and provided valuable experience for anti-drug cooperation between China and countries in central Asia. A normalized mechanism of investigation and intelligence sharing should be established with central Asia countries.

China and Tajikistan are member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security group that cooperate in a range of issues including anti-terrorism and fighting drugs.

In April this year, Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun visited Tajikistan and both sides agreed to increase joint action against drugs at airports and land border ports.