China, Indonesia bust transnational drug chain

BEIJING -- Chinese police and Indonesian authorities joined forces to capturing three suspects and seize 157 kg of methamphetamine, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

The Nov. 22 bust targeted a drug trade chain spanning Indonesia, Hong Kong and Chinese mainland cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao, said a statement released Wednesday by the ministry.

The case dates back to April, when Chinese police confiscated 13 kg of methamphetamine, popularly known as ice, in south China's Guangdong and eastern Shandong Province, detaining several drug dealers whose organization was later found to have links to many cities as well as Indonesia.

On Nov. 10, police seized another ten suspects, including several Hong Kong natives, along with two kg of the drug and 1.9 million yuan ($310,000) in cash, the statement said.

Chinese police notified Indonesia's anti-drug authorities after confirming that another 150 kg of methamphetamine was en route to Indonesia, which led to the Nov. 22 action. The ministry is now assisting the Indonesian side.

Underlining China's campaign on drugs, a separate ministry statement on Wednesday described of another eight major drug cases that saw 121 suspects detained, 11 drug making workshop destroyed and 191 kg of ice confiscated.

As part of the " One Hundred Cities" campaign, police dealing with these cases also confiscated 300 kg of methamphetamine ingredients, other drug ingredients weighing 34 tonnes, 11.8 million yuan and 2.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($335,000).

Most of these cases took months of police investigations and were wrapped up in raids last month.