2,534 arrested in Mekong anti-drug campaign

Police from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have arrested 2,534 suspects and seized about 9.78 tonnes of drugs during a two-month anti-drug campaign, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday.

Police confiscated 38 firearms, 1,125 bullets, drug money worth about 3.6 million U.S. dollars and 260 tonnes of chemicals used to produce drugs during the campaign, Liu Yuejin, director general of the ministry's Narcotics Control Bureau, said at a press conference.

Police also solved 1,784 drug-related cases during the campaign, which lasted from April 20 to June 20, Liu said.

The Mekong River, which flows through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, is a major trade route in southeast Asia.