China's Economic Zone of Shenzhen Gateway for Illegal Drugs Trade

Caitlin Walter

Sociology 202

September 1, 2006

Current Event #3


Drug Smuggling in China


The crime of drug trafficking and the strategies of how to do it is becoming an art form. Shenzhen in China has become one of the biggest import and export cities for illegal drugs. Shenzhen alone “…accounted for more than a quarter of all drug-smuggling cases cracked nationwide in the first three months of the year…” (1). Smugglers have begun using tourism as a “cover” to make imports and exports easier. They will use large crowds to their advantage by pretending to be tourists to make their deliveries. China seems to be facing trafficking challenges from all over. Government officials reported that new dangers for trafficking were coming from the Golden Triangle, the Golden Crescent, and the Korean Peninsula. To try to remedy these drug problems, officials are planning to “…build up a regional intelligence network and improve cooperation between different ports and departments” (1).

Until I first began doing research on the topic of drug crimes, I never knew that pretty much the whole world was involved with it. Whenever I would think of “drug countries”, my mind automatically went to Mexico, Cuba, Central America, Brazil, Venezuela – all the South American countries as well. I knew a small amount about the Opium situation overseas and just mainly that it was around Asia where it was most grown. But it blows my mind to hear how people get this junk around to places these days. Someone told me the other day that a girl was getting on an airplane and they found that she had hidden drugs in the heels of her shoes or something like that. And now, here are these people in the East pretending to be tourists to make their drug deals! What will they come up with next?


"China's Economic Zone of Shenzhen Gateway for Illegal Drugs Trade." British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 May 2006. South China Morning Post website, Hong Kong. 1 Sept. 2006