NIA targets traffickers to defeat drug lords

Week of waiting

Drug delivery schedules are always random. After the team had waited about a week, the tracker on Liu's car indicated movement.

An and his colleagues followed the signal to Pu'er, a city about 500 kilometers from Baoshan.

However, the signal suddenly disappeared as they entered the city.

The last reference point was a residential area, so the team searched the neighborhood for two hours. Liu's car was nowhere to be seen.

The officers understood that if they could not find the car, all their efforts would have been in vain. Just as they began to feel a little frustrated, though, the signal reappeared.

An knew he could not miss the opportunity, so he immediately launched a raid and apprehended three suspects, including Liu, at a garage where they were trying to repair the punctured tire.

"Liu told me if it had not been for the flat tire, they would have remained hidden until a truck came to collect the drugs. Even if he had been caught later, we would not have found anything compromising in his car," An said.

"Because he felt guilty, Liu told us that another part of the shipment, about 200 kg of meth, had been sent to other destinations."

Following the information Liu provided, An and his team traveled to Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, and seized 30 kg of the drug. The rest of the consignment was unearthed in Hengyang, a city in Hunan province, as a result of cooperation with local police.

"It was the biggest case in which I have taken part. The seizure of more than 300 kg of meth also made it the biggest case since the NIA was established in 2018," An said.

To An's surprise, Liu's successful deliveries had followed a simple pattern: the drugs were left in a removal van or an excavator after being delivered to the distribution point in China.

The investigation, which lasted 19 months, netted 178 suspects. Liu was sentenced to life imprisonment while seven of his peers were sentenced to death and executed.

Meanwhile, An was awarded the highest medal an immigration officer can receive.

"I have received much praise and many honors. Sometimes, I feel those medals just prove that the situation is still serious. If we let our guard down, more families will be broken and more young people like Liu will turn to crime," he said.