Record amount of heroin seized

The local Public Securuty Bureau launched an investigation in January, after detecting a criminal gang was trafficking large quantities of drugs from Yunnan to Ningxia.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE) BAI JIANBIN, Yinchuan Securuty Bureau Director:

"In late March this year, the investigaion team deployed troops into two parts, one in Yinchuan city and another in Yunnan Province. We captured five suspects and seized 36 kilograms of heroin in total."

Last year, Chinese police cracked some 120,000 drug-related crimes, confiscating 7.3 tonnes of heroin, 16.2 tonnes of methamphetamine and 4.7 tonnes of ketamine.

Under Chinese Criminal Law, smuggling, trafficking, transporting or making 50 grams of heroin or more is punishable by 15 years in jail, life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The case is under further investigation.