Drug raids seize 3 tonnes of crystal meth in single Guangdong village

A massive Guangdong drugs operation involving more than 3,000 personnel in 109 separate raids ended in the seizure of three tonnes of Ice and 182 arrests - all in a single village.

The huge swoop was on the village of Boshe in the notorious drug-producing area centred on the eastern city of Lufeng .

The 182 suspects allegedly belonged to 18 production and trafficking rings based in and around Boshe. Another 23 tonnes of raw materials for drug production were recovered.

Police did not reveal whether the seized Ice, or crystal methamphetamine was for export or domestic consumption. Nor did they reveal its value, but it is estimated to be worth about HK$1.8 billion in Hong Kong.

"Lufeng has long been notorious for drugs. Over the past three years, it has been providing one-third of the crystal meth nationwide," Xinhua quoted a senior official of the Guangdong police anti-narcotics bureau, Qiu Wei , as saying.

He added that Boshe was the most notorious area for drugs in Lufeng, with more than a fifth of households linked to production and trafficking rings.

Watch: China seizes three tonnes of crystal meth