Chinese police nab 60,000 in drug operation

BEIJING - Chinese police arrested 60,500 suspects for drug-related crimes in an operation that saw the seizure of 11.14 tons of narcotics, the Ministry of Public Security announced Thursday.

The police have dealt with 52,800 drug crime cases from late September to the end of December, amid a nationwide campaign to "ban drugs in hundreds of cities", the ministry said in a statement. The campaign will last until April this year.

The ministry said earlier that around 180,000 drug users had been punished as of the middle of December, with 55,679 sent for compulsory rehabilitation.

In its next move, the ministry and national drug control authority will begin to "speak with local drug control officials", the ministry said, implying further measures.

China has reinforced its stance on drug users in recent years, which has stirred public discussion as several celebrities have been implicated in drug-related crimes.