GUANGZHOU - The number of drug-smuggling cases in Guangdong province skyrocketed between January and May, according to a senior customs official on Monday.

Huang Shaodong, deputy director of the anti-smuggling bureau under Guangdong Customs, said officers across the province uncovered 161 smuggling cases during the first five months of the year, a year-on-year rise of 95 percent.

He said officers detained 110 suspects and seized 156 kg of drugs during the period.

During the whole of 2010, officers detained 132 suspected smugglers and seized 642.77 kg of drugs after cracking 177 cases, figures from Huang's bureau revealed.

Most of the drug-smuggling cases in Guangdong involved cross-border mail services or passengers entering or leaving the country, Huang said during a news conference in Guangzhou.

Guangdong has become a hotbed for drug-related crime because it is near to the affluent areas of Hong Kong and Macao.

"Most of the drug-smuggling cases involve traditional drugs such as heroin but cases involving new types of drugs, such as K-powder, ecstasy pills and methamphetamine, have increased significantly," Huang said.

He promised to work more closely with counterparts in Hong Kong and Macao to tackle the problem.

Meanwhile, customs officers will strengthen their cooperation with police to fight drug-related crime, he added.

Zheng Caixiong

(China Daily 06/21/2011 page5)