Chinese police cracked 24,000 illegal drugs cases and seized 9.23 tons of narcotics in the first eight months, according to the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday.

Remarkable progress was made during the nationwide crackdown on drugs-related crimes from January to August, with a total of 29,700 people arrested, said an official with the ministry.

A group of influential overseas drug traffickers and dealers were caught, and police uncovered 1,018 cases involving at least one kilogram of drugs.

Public information contributed to the success of the crackdown, said the official.

In southwest China's Yunnan Province, one of the ten provinces that offered rewards for public information, police investigated 694 cases with the help of the public, seizing 1,008 kilograms of drugs.

Chinese authorities also helped Myanmar and Laos with substitute crops to replace opium poppies, and provided 10,000 tons of rice to the north region of Myanmar, according to the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)