China sets up inter-ministerial task force against online drug trafficking

The first meeting of a task force covering nine departments and ministries to fight online drug trafficking,took place on Monday.

The task force is made up of officials from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, ministries of public security and industry and information technology, the State Administration for Industry & Commerce, the State Post Bureau and the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC), the statement said.

The speed and range of how drug trafficking develop through the Internet and the impact are shocking, said Liu Yuejin, assistant minister of public security and deputy director of the NNCC, at the meeting, describing the cyberspace as "a major battlefield" for narcotics control.

"All kinds of drug-related offences have occurred online," Liu said. "The Internet makes narcotics control much harder."

More and more culprits have used the Internet to access information and devices to make drugs or to approach clients, he said.

The task force is aimed at integrating all resources on and off line to curb drug trafficking and increase awareness among netizens.

The Ministry of Public Security launched a three-month national operation against online drug trafficking in April. So far, police have detained 1,564 suspects and seized 637 kg of narcotics. Endi