Police nabbed nearly 190,000 suspects allegedly involved in narcotics-related crimes over the last 17 months, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced on Saturday (June 26).

It further revealed that between January 2015 and end of May 2016, there were more than 217,000 prosecutions recorded for drug offenses.

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"Despite the prosecutions and arrests, drug-related crimes have risen each year, with new drugs springing up and criminals changing their methods," the SPP said in a statement.

According to Shanghai Daily, the Internet turned out to be the major avenue for these crimes, as criminals are now able to buy and sell their products online. Furthermore, with technology, communication has been made easy through QQ or WeChat, while payments can be easily transacted through Alipay.

Furthermore, criminals also now use courier services for shipment to get rid of law enforcement inspections. In fact, of the 1,091 cases recorded since 2014, a total of 474 of these were found on postal packages, courier deliveries, and checks on tourists.

With such rampant narcotics-related transactions across social media platforms, the SPP has ordered increased surveillance measures and improvement of courier management. Courier service providers are now required to identify and record the real names of both sender and receiver.

Aside from looking out for illicit transactions, officials are also commanded to heighten measures for psychiatric medicines, which are vital ingredients for illegal narcotics. In addition, inspection of hotels and entertainment hubs will also be done regularly.

China has been actively participating in global cooperation efforts against drug smuggling. Since 2014, a total of 15.6 tons of smuggled drugs has been seized by the General Administration of Customs.

Tagschina, Supreme People's Procuratorate, narcotics, Drugs, customs, illegal drugs