China blames Africans for increased drug trafficking

In China, drug offenses involving foreigners have risen sharply over the last year, an official with China's Ministry of Public Security said.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Director of the ministry's narcotics control bureau, Lui Yuejin, announced that Africans make up the majority of foreigners arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking.

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Official statistics from the ministry said police handled 1,491 drug-related crimes which involved foreigners, an increase of 15.4% since last year. A total of 1,963 foreigners were arrested as suspects, an increase of 17.3% in the same time frame.

Chinese police have also confiscated 5.9 metric tons of drugs, up 31%

"Due to high market demand, the desire for profits and loose management, foreign drug gangs are active in southern China, including Guangdong and Yunnan provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region," said Liu.

These African smugglers bring in heroin from the Golden Crescent region-an area that encompasses the mountain valleys of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan-as well as marijuana and cocaine from Africa and South America, he added.

Some of these suspects are believed to have acted as agents for Pakistani drug lords.

"After obtaining drugs from these drug lords, they usually hire foreign traffickers who hide the drugs in their bodies or luggage. They take the drugs to Beijing and Shanghai or send them to Guangdong and other provinces through express mai services," said Cui Qingchao, deputy director of the Guangzhou customs anti-smuggling department.

Investigations are difficult for police because of language barriers, and many of the suspects become violent if police try to arrest them.

"Suspects often use African languages to contact each other to strike drug deals, so it's difficult to get intelligence and capture the drug lords," said Liu.

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