(ECNS) - The number of foreigners in Beijing who abuse drugs is increasing, along with a spike in drug-related crime, said Jiang Liangdong, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, at a press conference on Tuesday.
In 2014 alone, Beijing police found more than 100 underage users and some 80 foreigners involved with drugs.
Foreign drug users come from multiple countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, South Africa, the U.S., Malaysia, Canada and France. Beijing police also confiscated 2.5 kilograms of drugs while cracking a foreign drug smuggling gang.
More than 80 percent of drug addicts consume synthetic drugs, and an increasing number of young people are joining them.
Hallucinations caused by taking drugs can lead addicts to engage in illegal activity, said Jiang.
People under the influence are increasingly finding themselves guilty of violent crimes such as murder and rape, according to Jiang. Crimes committed by addicts also include hijacking, arson, setting off explosives, and attacks on police.
Beijing has recently seen 14 cases related to drug addicts, more than in the last three years combined, said Jiang.
Over 150,000 people in Beijing consume illegal drugs, with drug problems especially rampant among students, actors and foreigners. A student died from a drug overdose in Changping district on March 10.
