Smuggled poppy capsules

OVER 1.5 tons of smuggled poppy capsules were seized by Tengchong City Customs in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, local customs announced yesterday.

On July 3, Tengchong Customs received a report that someone was planning to transport smuggled poppy capsules from Myanmar into China. A task force was immediately set up to investigate the case.

Gang crackdown

MORE than 4,000 suspects have been arrested in a crackdown on gang crime in the first half of 2018, data from Central China’s Henan Province showed Sunday.

As of June 29, local police had arrested a total of 4,496 suspects involved in 498 mafia-style and gang crime cases, seizing 1.18 billion yuan (US$178 million).

While fighting organized crime, the province has stepped up efforts in tackling the corruption behind gang crime.

By the end of May, a total of 431 people had been punished in 243 corruption-related cases, while 11 were punished for serving as “protective umbrellas” for gang crime.

Wetland area

CHINA, with a total wetland area of 53.6 million hectares, ranks first in Asia and fourth in the world, official data showed.

The statistics were released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration at the Eco Forum Global Annual Conference held in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

China has 57 wetlands that are of international importance, 602 wetland nature reserves and 898 national wetland parks, according to the administration.