Drug police in Northeast China's Liaoning Province cracked a transnational drug ring, arresting nine suspects and seizing almost 45 kilograms of "ice" or methamphetamines and 15 kilograms of ecstasy, the Shenyang Evening News reported yesterday.

This case is the largest in recent years in Liaoning, an official with the Liaoning Public Security Department said on Monday.

A seven-month-long anti-drug campaign from May to November has helped authorities root out 2,186 gangs allegedly involved in drug manufacturing and trafficking. Some 53,045 people have been arrested, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

On July 23 last year, police in South Korea discovered 36 kilograms of methamphetamines in containers at the bottom of a freight ship coming from Dandong, Liaoning Province, reports said.

Authorities also gathered information that the same drug ring was planning to transport another batch of drugs in the near future.

Liaoning police set up a special panel under the leadership of Vice-Director Liang Shangxue to detect and crack the case, officials said.

An investigation found the drug traffickers concealed drugs in aluminium pipes and then placed them at the bottom of containers before the drugs were transported abroad.

After more than 10 days of effort, police focused their attention on suspect Liu Lunhu of Hong Kong and suspect Liu Xiaojun from Dalian, who were in frequent contact with each other. Besides the two Liu's, another seven suspects also appeared to be involved.

On September 18, police departments in Shenyang arrested suspect Yang Jun and confiscated 4.87 kilograms of "ice" from his home in Dandong.

On the same day, police in Liaoning's Dalian and Guangdong's Shenzhen took action simultaneously to catch Liu Lunhu and Liu Xiaojun with the seizure of more than 40 kilograms of "ice" and 15 kilograms of ecstasy, police said.

(China Daily February 3, 2005)