China customs investigate 542 drug smuggling cases in 1 year

China's customs authorities had investigated 542 cases of drug smuggling in one year since June last year, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday. The number of cases under investigation in the period till June 10 this year rose 35.2 percent from a year earlier, the administration said. China has been tough on cracking down on drug smuggling by launching series of campaigns in recent years. In anti-drug-smuggling campaigns launched by the State Council from July to December last year, the country's customs authorities investigated 294 cases, up 30.7 percent year on year. Customs officials seized 523.7 kilograms of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and cocaine as well as 580 kilograms of Pericarpium Papaveris, the combined amount up 18.1 percent year on year in the period.