Over 60,000 prosecuted in China for drug-related crimes

BEIJING -- A total of 63,872 people in China were prosecuted for drug-related crimes in the first nine months of the year, down 19.1 percent from the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

Although prosecutors have seen a decline in the number of drug cases, the fight against narcotics remains grim in Guangdong and Sichuan provinces, with high drug crime frequencies, said the SPP.

Drug trafficking on the internet has become more prominent, the SPP said, noting that online drug trade, the transport of narcotics using delivery services, and the use of virtual currencies all make it more difficult to detect and crack down on such illegal activities.