China cracks 27,000 drug cases, seizes 33 tonnes of narcotics in 2025

Chinese authorities cracked over 27,000 drug-related criminal cases and seized 33.5 tonnes of narcotics in 2025, the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) said on Wednesday.

The investigations and seizures were part of the country's enhanced efforts to combat cross-border trafficking, curb domestic drug manufacturing and strengthen control over fentanyl-related substances and precursor chemicals.

According to the NNCC, police nationwide arrested 41,000 criminal suspects in drug-related cases last year.

The country has further deepened its "clean borders" campaign and tightened drug interdiction systems across land, sea, air and postal channels, effectively curbing drug smuggling into the country.

In 2025, authorities seized 18.7 tonnes of narcotics originating from the "Golden Triangle" region, a jungle-covered area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos converge, well-known for its rampant drug and narcotics trafficking.

The country also intensified efforts against drug manufacturing, solving 134 domestic drug-production cases and seizing 5.3 tonnes of narcotics last year. Large-scale drug manufacturing activities have been effectively contained.

In 2025, Chinese anti-drug authorities confiscated a total of 550.6 tonnes of drug-making materials. The country also released a white paper titled "Controlling Fentanyl-Related Substances – China's Contribution."

"China added two fentanyl-related precursor chemicals to its list of controlled substances and included 13 fentanyl-related precursor chemicals in its Catalogue of Precursor Chemicals Subject to Export Control to Specific Countries (Regions). The U.S., Mexico and Canada were added to the list of specific countries and regions," said Wei Xiaojun, executive deputy director of the office and head of the Ministry of Public Security's narcotics control bureau.

"China also issued a notice on preventing the diversion of drug-making materials, non-scheduled precursor chemicals and related equipment, effectively preventing precursor chemicals and equipment from entering illicit drug-production channels. As to the end of 2025, China had placed 47 precursor chemicals under control, including seven fentanyl-related precursor chemicals, further improving its regulatory system for drug-making materials," Wei said.

China cracks 27,000 drug cases, seizes 33 tonnes of narcotics in 2025

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 percent.

"Economic activity is expanding at a solid pace despite elevated uncertainty that owes, in part, to the conflict in the Middle East. Productivity growth and capital investment are strong. Job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little," said the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in a statement.

Meanwhile, "inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee's 2 percent goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy," the FOMC went on in the statement.

In support of the Fed's dual mandate, the committee "decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent," the statement said.

The FOMC reaffirmed "its policy of maintaining ample reserves in the banking system."

All 12 FOMC members voted for keeping the rate unchanged.

Following the FOMC meeting held on Tuesday and Wednesday, meeting participants submitted their projections of the most likely outcomes for real GDP growth, the unemployment rate, and inflation for each year from 2026 to 2028 and over the longer run.

The Federal Reserve Board members and Federal Reserve Bank presidents project that U.S. median GDP growth will be 2.2 percent in 2026, lower than the March projection of 2.4 percent. The median unemployment rate will be 4.3 percent in 2026, down from the March projection of 4.4 percent. Their GDP growth and unemployment projections for 2027 are at 2.3 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, unchanged from the March projection.

As for inflation based on the personal consumption expenditures price index, FOMC meeting participants project it at 3.6 percent for 2026 and 2.3 percent for 2027, both higher than the March projections of 2.7 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

U.S. Fed holds interest rate steady