China Arrests 60,000 in 'Unprecedented' 100-Day Drug Crackdown

NBC News.com

BEIJING — Chinese police have arrested more than 60,000 people and seized more than 11 tons of drugs in a three-month nationwide crackdown, according to officials. The "100-day campaign" from September to Decmber was part of intensified crime-fighting operations ahead of next month's Chinese Lunar New Year.

China's top anti-drug official said the mass arrests had "sown terror" among drug criminals, according to a report Thursday in China's state-run newspaper Legal Daily. Liu Yuejin told the newspaper that he had called on China's police officers to use "unprecedented strength" and "extraordinary measures" in the operation. Legal Daily is controlled by China's Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs. The raids were also reported by China's state-run news agency Xinhua.

The widespread arrests come after a Beijing court handed down a six-month prison sentence to Jaycee Chan, the son of kung-fu movie star Jackie Chan, for providing a venue to drug users. Jackie Chan is China's anti-drug ambassador.