China-Vietnam joint operation detains 3,820 drug suspects

A joint China-Vietnam anti-drug campaign launched earlier this year has broken 3,180 drug-related cases and detained 3,820 drug trafficking suspects through cross-border operations, Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

During a three-month long operation which started in northern Lang Son province of Vietnam in February, Chinese police cracked 2,282 cases, arrested 2,664 suspects with six handed over to Vietnam. Police seized 152.9 kg of heroin and 356.8 kg of smokable methamphetamine.

The Vietnamese side cracked the rest of the 898 cases and detained 1,156 suspects. 75.57 kg of heroin was seized

The operation is the latest major campaign against drug-related crimes in the region after "Safe River", a joint operation between police forces from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in 2013. This latest campaign is expected to further improve law enforcement cooperation along the Mekong River.

China and Vietnam have agreed to conduct similar joint cross-border anti-drug campaigns next year.

As a state party of three United Nations anti-drug conventions, China has placed international cooperation as one of the most important areas of the country's anti-drug campaign. With economy taking off and its international status rising, China has developed from a recipient country to a donor country by contributing $1 million to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime every year.