China, US jointly crack transnational drug trafficking case

China and the US have jointly carried out an operation targeting the trafficking of new psychoactive substances, China’s Ministry of Public Security said Thursday.

The ministry said a joint investigation into the case was launched in 2024 by its narcotics control bureau and the US Drug Enforcement Administration under the Department of Justice, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Chinese police arrested a suspect surnamed Gong in Tianjin in February this year based on clues provided by US authorities, according to the ministry.

US authorities had earlier arrested an American suspect linked to the same case in the state of Georgia.

The resolution of the case reflects the “institutionalized operation” of China-US anti-drug law enforcement cooperation and marks “another practical outcome” of the two sides’ coordinated efforts to combat cross-border crime, the ministry said.

It added that the case demonstrates the “firm stance” of both countries’ law enforcement agencies in “showing zero tolerance” for drug-related and transnational crimes.