China's railway police nabbed 496.8 kilograms of drugs in crackdown of 1,291 drug-related cases in the first five months, the public security department of the Ministry of Railways said Saturday.

More than 1,500 drug suspects were detained, said the ministry.

It cited the Kunming Railway Station, a "drug control frontier" which blocked six drug crimes cases and seized 1.06 kg of drugs in 24 hours.

As the closest major Chinese city located near the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia as well as the main linking point in intentional drug smuggling, Kunming, the capital city of Yunan Province, plays a critical role in China's anti-drug efforts.

The police department of the Kunming Railway Station seized 31 kg of drugs in handling 242 crime cases in the first five months. 283 suspects were detained.

The ministry said it has sent six groups to the country's major railway arteries to enhance anti-drug efforts.

Zhang Jun, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, said last Thursday, or one day ahead of the nation's annual anti-drug day, that China still faced a grave challenge in anti-drug campaigns because of the worsening situation globally.

Courts across China handled 14,282 drug-related cases between January and May, up 12 percent over the same period last year. In these cases, 6,379 people were convicted and received severe penalties, ranging from five years' imprisonment to capital punishment, Zhang said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2009)