DRUG offenses involving foreigners rose sharply last year, China Daily reported Thursday, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

    Most of the foreign drug trafficking suspects who were arrested are from African nations, Liu Yuejin, a senior official with the Ministry of Public Security, was quoted as saying.

    Police arrested 1,963 foreign drug suspects in China last year, an increase of 17.3 percent over 2012. Liu said foreign drug gangs are active in Guangdong, Yunnan and Guangxi.

    African drug trafficking suspects smuggled heroin from the Golden Crescent region (made up of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) or brought marijuana or cocaine from Africa and South America, Liu said.

    Cui Qingchao, deputy director of the anti-smuggling department of Guangzhou Customs, said foreign traffickers are able to obtain methamphetamine at a low price Lufeng and Jie-yang, both in Guangdong. They also hire locals and expectant mothers to transport drugs to other countries. Investigations and interrogation are difficult because of language barriers, he said. Suspected traffickers also tend to use violence when police try to arrest them.

    But he said the authorities will increase supervision of foreign residents, especially in Guangdong.(SD-Agencies)