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Golden Triangle Drug Growing Threat to China
Evidence points to the fact that the drug problem in the notorious Golden Triangle is a growing threat to China, a senior police officer said in Beijing Tuesday.
In his address to the opening of the Fifth ICPO-Interpol Heroin Conference, Chen Cunyi, a deputy director of the Ministry of Public Security's anti-narcotics bureau, said that the center of the notorious Golden Triangle is moving northward to the northern part of Myanmar.
China's anti-narcotics forces are under increasingly greater pressure, he said, noting that besides traditional drugs like opium, the Golden Triangle is also producing new strains like methamphetamines, known as "ice," according to the Chinese police officer.
The output of drugs in the area is increasing steadily, he added.
Last year, China seized 5.3 tons of heroin, mostly smuggled from the Golden Triangle. Meanwhile, Chinese police investigated 187 drug cases, including 148 "ice" cases handled by police in Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar.
Last year, local police also confiscated nearly 272 tons of raw chemicals for use in drug-making, while nearly 250 tons were seized by Yunnan police, accounting for 91 percent of the total.
China has become a major sales market for drugs from the Golden Triangle, though the country has launched a series of anti-drug campaigns, Chen said.
Furthermore, the Golden Triangle drugs, "ice" in particular, are also posing more of a threat than ever before in the world, according to the police officer.
He urged to the international community to assist the anti-drug efforts in the area in various forms, including showing moral support, participating in the efforts to help local farmers in the area to plant crops other than opium poppy, and enforcing laws.
All governments and international organizations involved in the effort should strengthen their cooperation in the fight against drugs by sharing their resources and information.
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