Drug traffickers 'getting smarter' [ 2007-06-27 15:53 ]
Drug traffickers are using more
covert means, new types of narcotics have hit the "market" and the number of
addicts is on the rise, police and court officials said yesterday.
All
provinces, irrespective of whether they are near the border or inland face the
threat of narcotics, said Liu Yuejin, deputy director of the Ministry of Public
Security's Narcotics Control Bureau.
The situation is still "grave"
because drugs are still entering China from the neighboring regions and the
number of illegal drug processing plants has increased in the country, he said.
Announcing the breakthrough in several major drug trafficking cases in
which seven culprits were sentenced to death yesterday, Supreme People's Court
spokesman Ni Shouming warned that China is facing the danger of "rampant
infiltration" from neighboring drug sources. Besides, more Chinese people are
colluding with overseas drug dealers to process, transport and sell drugs in the
country.
The "Golden Triangle", comprising Myanmar, Laos and Thailand,
is the biggest source of drugs in China. But the total area under poppy cultivation there has reduced because of the
governments' joint efforts, Liu said. Nevertheless, more new types of drugs such
as the "ice" are being trafficked from there into China today.
Also,
more drugs are entering China from another major source, the "Golden Crescent"
that is spread across the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran,
he said. Another alarming development is the increase in trafficking of drugs
from a country, which Liu did not specify, through the northeastern parts of
China.
A new trend among drug abusers, Liu said, is the switch from
traditional drugs such as heroin and opium to new drugs like Ketamine,
dancing outreach and some
psychotropic substances like dolantin.
The Ministry of Public Security's
website quotes Vice-Minister Zhang Xinfeng as saying: "With the strengthening of
the interception (machinery) and crackdown, heroin supply in the country has
reduced sharply, forcing many drug addicts to use psychotropic substances."
Drug traffickers are adopting more secretive means, Liu said. "The
number of cases in which huge amounts of drugs are seized is dropping as dealers
are dividing the contraband into smaller parts and exploiting the security
loopholes to traffic them through road and water transport or even postal
services."
Ni said that in a number of cases busted in southwestern
China, dealers were found to have been using pregnant women to carry drugs.
The Ministry of Public Security also said that it had cracked a
trans-border case in which eight people, including a Filipino, were detained and
drugs worth 54 million Yuan ($7.09 million) seized.
During their joint
efforts over past three years, Chinese and Filipino police have busted a gang
that was a major drug processor and trafficker in the region, Liu said.
The main culprit, Cai Aishan, 48, a retired navy soldier and resident of
Fujian Province, was arrested in Beijing on June 3.
(China Daily 06/26/2007 Page 2)
Vocabulary:
drug trafficker: 毒贩
poppy: 罂粟
dancing outreach:摇头丸
Questions:
1. The Golden Triangle is comprised of what countries?
2. The Golden Crescent is comprised of what countries?
3. What events have caused drug users to switch from hard drugs, like heroin,
to new psychotropic ones?
Answers:
1. Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand.
2. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
3. The strengthening of the interception machinery and crackdown.
(英语点津 Linda 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Suzann Riddle is a senior double majoring in Health Care
Management and Economics at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She finds
herself at China Daily Website after visiting many areas of China as a Holland
Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program with Fudan University.
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