Authorities worry about the increasing danger to society posed by armed criminals

Nearly 500 guns were seized in major drug cases in China last year, a significant growth of firearms associated with drug manufacturing and trafficking, the drug control authority said on Thursday.

Police departments at or above city level cracked 257 drug cases last year, an increase of 52 percent from the previous year, according to the latest data from the China National Narcotics Control Commission.

In those cases, 476 guns - up 40 percent year-on-year - and more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition were seized.

The use of guns in the drug trade has gained momentum rapidly in the past year, and most suspects in major drug cases possess firearms, according to the commission.

The convergence of firearms with drug manufacturing and trafficking poses great danger to society, and the commission urged drug control agencies at all levels to put gun-related drug cases in their crosshairs.

Inspections for firearms and drugs will be strengthened at major checkpoints, customs gateways and toll gates in each province, the commission said in a written statement.

In addition, the commission said it will focus on drug dealing and the firearms trade on the internet and set up an information exchange mechanism with internet supervisory authorities.

Private possession of firearms in China is strictly prohibited with very few exceptions. Those who illegally possess firearms can face up to seven years in prison.

Firearms for civilian use are permitted in only a few organizations and workplaces, including hunting groups and those involved in the breeding and research of wildlife.

Hunters in some areas and herdsmen in rural regions may be allowed to possess hunting rifles.

In the latest large-scale drug case, in Shaoyang, Hunan province in June, 16 suspects were arrested, and two firearms, 40 rounds of ammunition and a host of gun parts were seized. More than 70 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized.

In recent years, a number of police officers have been killed in firefights with drug suspects in Yunnan province.

Yang Jungang, head of an investigative squad of the Armed Police Force in Pu'er, Yunnan province, was shot and killed by a suspect in March when he was about to examine three suspected accomplices.

"Police officers need to be prepared to face violence at any moment while performing their duty and must be ready to fight with drug suspects who often break into checkpoints by force," said Liu Xiaoqing, deputy head of the Yunnan Public Security Bureau.

Contact the writers at liyingqing@chinadaily.com.cn

?Guangdong police show methamphetamine, guns and ammunition that they seized during a crackdown on drug smuggling, in May. Chen Fan / For China Daily

1 Hiding drugs in machines

Police in Baiyun district, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, cracked a cross-border drug trafficking gang that hid 282 kg of drugs in an air compressor and a steel wire drawing machine and caught four members of the gang. Police said that the machines looked OK to the eye but under optical scanning the drugs could be seen clearly.

2 Hiding drugs in thick broad-bean sauce

Police in Shenyang, Liaoning province, cracked an interprovincial methamphetamine trafficking case when they found that 16.5 kg of methamphetamine had been sealed in 23 small packages and hidden in thick broadbean sauce, which was sent from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to Shenyang by a logistics company.

3 Hiding drugs inside your body

On May 28, Guangzhou customs found an African man hiding drugs in his body. The Ugandan confessed that he swallowed 23 compressed pills wrapped with high density material before he got on the flight. He said that he could earn $4,000 by smuggling. In the 11 days before and after he was seized, another eight African men who hid drugs in their bodies were also held by customs. The suspects hid a total of 3.9 kg of heroin and 4.3 kg of cocaine in their bodies.

4 Hiding drugs in wine bottles

On Nov 30, customs staff at Shanghai Pudong Airport checked five pieces of luggage carried by two Chinese passengers and found by X-ray that two of the pieces contained 32 bottles of wine. When customs inspected the wine they found 28.2 kg of cocaine hidden inside. The two passengers were a couple and did business in Brazil. They said a Chinese man asked them to bring the wine to China and paid 3,200 yuan ($486) as a service charge. The couple were detained for further investigation.