Guangzhou has become a distribution hub for illegal drugs, according to a mainland expert combating the illicit trade.
'Drugs from the Golden Crescent [spanning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran] could have gone directly to Xinjiang and Gansu , where there are many addicts, but they come to Guangzhou first before being sent back to Xinjiang,' the expert, who requested anonymity, said. 'Guangzhou has become an underground wholesale market for drugs.'
The city was also a conduit for drugs from the Golden Triangle, she said.
But Guangzhou was not just attracting drug supplies from neighbouring regions but from all over the world, including Ecstasy from the Netherlands and ketamine from India.
'I believe they are all coming here because prices are decided here. Prices here are higher than in other parts of the country,' the expert said.
Guangzhou has traditionally been one of the routes for opium produced in the Golden Triangle area, encompassing parts of Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan , to reach the outside world via Hong Kong.