REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- Police arrested 189,313 suspects involved in narcotics-related crimes over over the last 17 months, the Supreme People's Procuratorate revealed Saturday.
There were 217,503 prosecutions for drug offences from the beginning of 2015 to the end of May this year, it said.
"Despite the prosecutions and arrests, drug-related crimes have risen each year, with new drugs springing up and criminals changing their methods," the SPP said in a statement.
The Internet has emerged as a major channel for such crimes, it said. Criminals buy the raw materials and sell the final products online, and they use apps such as QQ or WeChat to contact buyers and sellers, and Alipay to pay.
They also send products via courier services, in a bid to avoid law enforcement checks.
The SPP ordered heightened monitoring of narcotics-related transactions on WeChat and Alipay, and improved courier management, including the real names of senders and receivers.
It suggested authorities improve supervision over drug market, with particular focus on the wholesale of psychiatric medicines, which can be used in the production of narcotics.
The police will also inspect hotels and entertainment venues regularly, it said.
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