The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department announced on April 24 that police in Guangzhou and Dongguan had seized over 1.3 metric tons of cocaine worth more than RMB1 billion, according to South China Morning Post. Police say this is the biggest single-case seizure of ‘Columbian bam bam’ since the People’s Republic of China was founded.
The cocaine came from an unnamed South American country and was shipped to a port in the prefecture-level city of Shanwei in eastern Guangdong, before being transported to Guangzhou. Unfortunately for the narcotics traffickers, the yayo was seized by law enforcement before it could be moved and, following a lengthy transnational investigation and pursuit, all 19 gang members were eventually captured and detained.
The police takedown of the smuggling gang began last year. In August 2017, authorities arrested three suspects in Shenzhen and seized 40 kilograms of cocaine at a suspected processing facility in Dongguan. Several months later, in February of this year, police arrested two suspects in Guangzhou and seized nearly 1,300 kilograms of cocaine.
In this most recent bust, two of the conspirators attempted to evade capture but were apprehended overseas with the help of Interpol after the Ministry of Public Security declared an international manhunt. The pair was extradited to Guangdong to face their charges, despite being Hong Kong residents. Though the move raised eyebrows in the Special Administrative Region, it is in fact commensurate with Interpol policies, which require suspects to be tried where their crimes took place.
All 19 suspects are now awaiting trial for their alleged roles in the trafficking ring.
[Images via China News]
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