A new unit of China's Ministry of Public Safety was established to fight crimes involving food and drugs. The Food-and Drug-Related Crime Investigation Unit, to be headed by the former director of the ministry's auditing bureau Lyu Wuqin, was set up earlier this month to counter the rampant manufacture and sale of fake and dangerous products in the country.
The new unit will primarily focus on counterfeit food and drug products. They are tasked to gather evidence to be used in enforcement operations and in prosecutions.
It was established to aid public security officers at all levels since they are usually troubled with the handling of food- and drug-related crimes due to their lack of specialized knowledge, practical experience, and relevant skills. It will act as a professional team that will obtain solid evidence against suspects.
Recent events, including the viral death of a three-year-old girl in eastern China after an anti-rabies vaccination, caused the Chinese government to ramp up its regulation in the manufacture and distribution of food and drugs in the country.
The vaccine was manufactured by Guangzhou Promise Biological Products and it was approved for release by China's National Institutes for Food and Drug Control. Recently, Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Company was found guilty of giving vaccines to hundreds of thousands of children. The company paid $1.3 billion worth of fine to the Chinese government.
According to the Ministry of Public Safety, the Chinese police have arrested 26,000 suspects that are involved in drug and food-related crimes. The ministry also reported that there were 21,000 crimes reported crimes involving fake or substandard food and drugs, as well as environmental pollution from January to October of last year.
Two Canadians, including Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, were sentenced to death because of drug trafficking. The accused is a 36-year-old former oil worker caught smuggling more than 200 kg of methamphetamine in China last year. He was caught trying to flee to Thailand after he became aware of the investigation against him. He was, however, intercepted in Guangzhou.
The second Canadian sentenced with the death penalty for drug charges is identified as Fan Wei. Mr. Fan is among the 11 people sentenced after caught guilty of drug trafficking. Canada asked China to grant clemency. The country, however, has a strict policy on drug-related crimes. The harsh punishment of the country against the drug-related crimes showed the zero-tolerance of the government on drug offenses
