Beijing police have cracked more than 1,900 drug-related criminal cases from January of 2003 to May this year, seizing over 2,000 suspect criminals, according to the Beijing Municipal Committee for Narcotics Control.

During the same period, local police seized over 6,100 drug addicts involved in over 5,800 related cases, confiscating 92.9 kilograms of drugs including heroin, "ice" or methamphetamine hydrochloride, and amphetamines commonly known as " head-shaking pills", the committee announced at a news conference held on Friday.

Information from the news conference shows that the registered number of drug addicts has topped 26,000 so far in the national capital and the number of addicts of incitants is rising rapidly in recent years. The addicts include students, medical workers, actors and workers of the artistic circle, lawyers and businessmen.

Initial statistics show that local police smashed more than 130criminal cases involving drug addicts in the first five months this year, excluding drug trafficking cases. By the end of last year, 716 AIDS/HIV carriers had been tested from among local drug addicts.

In addition, a campaign targeting drug trafficking, drug sales and other related crimes was launched from April through September this year.

Zhou Yongkang, head of the National Narcotics Control Commission, has called for governments and narcotics control departments at all levels to attach still greater importance to the work of narcotics control.

Efforts are urgently required to curb production and sales of drugs and stem the increase in the number of drug addicts to reduce the harmful effects of drugs, Zhou told a national meeting on drug control on last Sunday, which was held in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Zhou, a state councilor as well as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, noted that situation remain stark though remarkable success had been attained in China's work to combat drug-related crimes.

"A harsh blow has to be dealt to drug-related criminal cases incompliance with law, and greater efforts must be made to spread knowledge on drugs among the general public so as to improve their awareness of drug control," he underscored.

China cracked a total of 546,900 drug-related criminal cases in five years from 1998 to 2003, seizing 51.03 tons of heroin and uprooting 427 hectares of opium poppy, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Statistics available show that 235,600 criminal suspects were arrested for producing, trafficking and selling drugs over the past five years, and 52.43 tons of "ice", 14.73 tons of opium and 1,412.5 tons of chemicals that could be easily turned into drugs were confiscated in the same period.

A source with the ministry owned the achievements to the strike-hard policies of China's narcotics control units in combating drug-related crimes and highly-effective measures and substantial efforts the related units and localities across China have made in the war on the drug-related criminal cases.

The building of drug-free villages and communities, as well as active involvement in the international narcotics control efforts, acknowledged the source, were all attributable to the victory over drug-related crimes in the country.

China now boasts an anti-drug police force of about 17,000 members, and its central government has input more than 600 million yuan (US$72.55 million) for drug control efforts over the past five years.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2004)