Police seize tonne of cocaine in cross-border drug trafficking case

GUANGZHOU, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The public security department of south China's Guangdong Province on Monday revealed that a major cross-border maritime drug trafficking case has been solved. A tonne of cocaine was seized and 56 suspects were arrested.

The narcotics control department of the provincial public security department identified a man surnamed Xie as a key individual suspected of being involved in the smuggling of drugs from South America to Hong Kong in August 2022.

With coordination work and guidance from the Ministry of Public Security, the Guangdong police worked with customs authorities, the coast guard department and the Hong Kong police to establish a special task force, and conducted an investigation into the case.

The investigation revealed that a major armed drug smuggling gang comprising dozens of individuals from seven countries and regions had been involved.

Xie, the primary suspect, allegedly conspired with a Hong Kong drug trafficker surnamed Chan to organize a drug smuggling operation early in August 2022, according to the police. The former was allegedly mainly responsible for buying ships and guns, recruiting crew members and organizing transport to the Chinese mainland, while the latter allegedly contacted drug dealers, handled deposits, rented ships and facilitated the transfer of drugs.

Xie was arrested in February 2023 when he returned to China after allegedly acquiring drugs from South America. Seven other individuals suspected of involvement allegedly attempted to transport the drugs via a fishing boat but were stranded in Philippine waters. They were detained by the Philippine police and handed over to the Chinese police in April.

Liu Weiguo, director of the narcotics control department of the provincial public security department, said that the case has had a powerful deterrent effect on transnational smuggling and drug trafficking gangs, and it has played an important role in improving the drug situation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.