Chinese, Philippine police crack int'l drug trafficking case
26/12/2006 17:36
Chinese and Philippine police have cracked a large international drug
producing and trafficking ring, seizing one ton of ephedrine and 350 kilograms
of crystallized methamphetamine (commonly known as "ice").
Fifteen suspects
have been captured in China and five in the Philippines, said Liu Yuejin, deputy
director of the anti-narcotics bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, at a
press conference in Beijing today.
Police have also seized nearly 10,000
cases of chemicals and a lot of equipment in a drug plant covering 3,000 square
meters in Philippines, Liu said.
"The case is a good example of international
anti-drug cooperation. In addition to Philippine authorities, police from
China's Fujian, Guangdong, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hong Kong also took
part in the investigation," said Liu.
He said that police in southeast
China's coastal province of Fujian began to investigate a drug smuggling case
involving the Philippines in July. In September, police from the two countries
set up a joint detective team, to track down a major drug smuggler named Shao
Chuntian, who was wanted by police in China and in several Southeastern Asian
countries.
In November, police found that Shao had smuggled one ton of
ephedrine to China and set up a plant in Philippines to produce "ice".
On
Dec. 19, Philippine police captured three Chinese suspects at Manila airport and
two Philippine suspects in the plant. At the same time, Chinese police seized
Shao Chuntian and another 14 Chinese suspects in Quanzhou City of Fujian
Province.
Shao Chuntian, carrying a Chinese passport, is a well-known drug
kingpin in southeastern Asia, said Fu Shijie, head of the anti-drug team of the
Public Security Bureau of Fujian Province.
Shao started to produce drugs in
Philippines as early as 2001. His plant was shut down by local police in
December 2004 after a fire fight between police and workers in the
plant.
Shao then hid in Manila, and helped others manufacture 600 kilograms
of drugs at that time. Then he fled to Fujian Province. He resumed the drug
business this year, Fu said.
Police are investigating where the drug
producing materials and equipment in this case came from, said Fu.
One ton of
ephedrine can be used to produce several hundred kilograms of "ice", and one
kilogram of "ice" can be sold at a wholesale price of 300,000 yuan in China, Fu
added.
Xinhua
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