China, US make fresh headway in counternarcotics cooperation

Chinese and US law enforcement agencies have made fresh headway in counternarcotics cooperation, jointly cracking a transnational case involving precursors used to manufacture synthetic cannabinoids, China's Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.

The case was jointly handled by the ministry and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the ministry.

In early May, the US side provided information on two Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in drug-related activities.

Chinese police later determined that the leads were connected to an ongoing case in China, leading authorities to consolidate the investigations.

Following further investigation, Chinese police in mid-August carried out coordinated operations in north China's Hebei Province and elsewhere, arresting 21 suspects and seizing a batch of non-scheduled precursor chemicals commonly used in drug production, the ministry said.

Previously, the US authorities had arrested two US nationals suspected of drug-related crimes.

The two allegedly purchased non-scheduled precursor chemicals to produce drugs in the United States, which were then distributed to inmates at multiple federal and state prisons across the country, according to the ministry.

The successful solving of the case, the ministry said, underscores the effectiveness of the China-US counternarcotics law enforcement cooperation mechanism and offers another concrete example of the two sides' efforts to deepen practical cooperation in combating transnational drug-related crimes.

Counternarcotics has long been an important area of China-US law enforcement cooperation.

The two countries have worked together on cases involving drug smuggling and trafficking, as well as the cross-border trafficking of new psychoactive substances.

In August, a Chinese court convicted two men of trafficking precursor chemicals abroad.

The case was cracked with information provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in 2023.

The China-US counternarcotics intelligence exchange mechanism, established in 2002, convened its 11th meeting in February 2026, with discussions focusing on drug trends, joint investigations, precursor chemical controls and other areas of cooperation.

China has strengthened regulatory controls over non-scheduled precursor chemicals.