Major maritime drug smuggling case jointly cracked by China, Thailand and the US selected among China’s top 10 anti-drug cases of 2025
A press conference held by China's National Narcotics Control Commission on June 17, 2026. Photo: Guo Yuandan
A major maritime drug trafficking case jointly investigated by law enforcement authorities from China, Thailand and the US has been selected as one of China's top 10 exemplary drug enforcement cases of 2025, the Global Times learned at a press conference held by China's National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) on Wednesday.
The NNCC briefed the media on the investigation of major drug-related cases nationwide since the beginning of 2025. Among the cases highlighted was the "Jisheng" vessel case, a large-scale maritime drug smuggling operation uncovered through trilateral law enforcement cooperation.
According to the briefing, on February 24, 2025, Chinese anti-drug and coast guard authorities, working in coordination with the Royal Thai Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration of the US Department of Justice, successfully intercepted the drug-smuggling vessel “Jisheng” in waters near Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea. Seven suspects were arrested and 4,973.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were seized on board, setting a new record for the largest quantity of drugs confiscated in a single maritime case in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
Authorities said anti-drug agencies in South China's Guangdong Province, together with counterparts in Fujian and Shandong provinces and the China Coast Guard, spent more than seven months investigating the case and uncovering the full criminal network behind the operation.
According to information released by China's Ministry of Public Security, the Royal Thai Police and the US drug enforcement authority conducted extensive investigations and proactively shared intelligence regarding the maritime trafficking operation with Chinese authorities. Acting on the information, Chinese law enforcement agencies responded swiftly, intercepted the vessel and seized the narcotics, making the case a model of international anti-drug cooperation.
Although the Jisheng case involved coordinated efforts among Chinese, Thai and US law enforcement agencies, it also serves as a notable example of deepening practical cooperation between China and the US in the field of narcotics control.
Over the past two years, China and the US have maintained communication and cooperation on anti-drug law enforcement and have achieved a number of concrete results. On May 11, China's Ministry of Public Security announced that Chinese and US anti-drug authorities had jointly cracked a cross-border drug trafficking case involving smuggling operations spanning both countries.
In another example of bilateral cooperation, on April 3, 2025, following intelligence provided by Chinese anti-drug authorities, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported and transferred to China a Chinese national surnamed Han who was suspected of drug smuggling and trafficking, through established immigration law enforcement cooperation channels.
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