Chinese couriers rewarded for clues to drug crimes

BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 125 delivery workers have been rewarded for offering tip-offs in a national crackdown on drug crimes committed via postal and courier services, China's Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday.

With the rapid development of internet business, delivery services have become a new channel for drug trafficking and smuggling, Zhao Zhongchen, deputy head of the ministry's anti-narcotics bureau, told a press conference in Beijing.

In collaboration with the State Post Bureau and other departments, the ministry launched the 100-day targeted crackdown on Sept. 1 last year.

During the campaign, Chinese police resolved 1,709 drug crime cases committed via postal and courier services, up by 60 percent from the same period in 2020, said Zhao, adding that the crackdown also saw the arrest of 3,802 suspects and seizure of 4.3 tonnes of narcotics.

According to Zhao, 135 out of the drug cases were cracked based on public tip-offs, and the 125 delivery workers were rewarded with 848,000 yuan (133,283 U.S. dollars) for the useful clues they offered.