Police in northwest China's Gansu Province seized a total of 959 kilograms of drug of various kinds in the last year, the Provincial Public Security Bureau said Saturday.  

According to Zhao Juzhong, bureau director and deputy director of the provincial anti-drug committee, the province investigated 791 drug cases in the Jan.-Nov. period of 2003, seizing 130.4 kilograms of heroine, 27 kilograms of opium, 3.4 kilograms of ecstasy pills and 798.4 kilograms of other kinds of drugs.

A total of 1,015 drug-related criminals were arrested.

Zhao said that although great achievements were made in the crackdown on drug crimes in 2003, the police are facing growing difficulties, as drug criminals are updating their methods, becoming more tricky with the use of modern intelligent communications, and making the drug trade more organized and family-controlled.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2004)