China Coast Guard seizes 11.6 tons of drugs since 2025

The China Coast Guard (CCG) has cracked eight major maritime drug trafficking cases and seized 11.6 tons of narcotics since January 2025, the CCG disclosed on Friday, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

These operations have strongly deterred drug trafficking networks and helped maintain security, CCG said.

Among these cases was a major bust on February 24, 2025. Acting on intelligence shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the China Coast Guard intercepted the drug smuggling ship named Jisheng in the South China Sea, arresting seven suspects and seizing 4.973 tons of methamphetamine.

This case set a record as the largest amount of drugs seized in a single maritime drug smuggling case in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.

Another operation took place on April 26, 2026, in the South China Sea. When a suspected smuggling ship ignored repeated warnings and refused to stop, the China Coast Guard used water cannons to bring it under control.

After boarding the vessel, enforcement personnel quickly controled the engine room and other key areas, arresting five suspects and confiscating 43 packages of marijuana weighing 735.28 kilograms.

In recent years, the China Coast Guard has carried out a series of targeted anti-drug operations, focusing on key waters and shipping routes prone to drug trafficking. By leveraging a comprehensive air-sea surveillance and control system, CCG has maintained a high-pressure stance against maritime drug crimes.

China Coast Guard seizes 11.6 tons of drugs since 2025

The death toll from the powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday had risen to 920, with 3,360 others injured, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Friday.

Another 172 people still remained trapped under debris and 3,007 others had been displaced by the disaster, Rodriguez said.

The earthquakes damaged 383 buildings, including 13 hospitals and 25 commercial centers, he said, adding that another 1,002 facilities sustained varying degrees of damage.

As of Friday afternoon, 871 international rescue workers had arrived in the country to assist in relief operations, Rodriguez said.

Meanwhile, as of midday Friday, over 50,000 people remained missing, according to a website established to receive reports of people still unaccounted for. Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said Friday that La Guaira state, one of the worst-hit areas, had been placed under military control to facilitate rescue efforts and ensure security.

Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said that over 5,000 medical workers have been urgently mobilized nationwide to fully engage in the earthquake relief efforts, and in La Guaira state, the military has set up a field hospital to help ease local medical capacity pressures.

The Chinese embassy in Venezuela confirmed that seven Chinese citizens were among those killed in the earthquakes.

Search and rescuers are racing to reach survivors beneath the rubble before the “golden” window of time closes, and families are waiting desperately for news.

Death toll from Venezuela earthquakes rises to 920