NE China police seize 55 suspects for growing, processing, trafficking marijuana

CHANGCHUN, June 4 (Xinhua)-- Police in north China's Jilin Province have seized 55 suspects involved in growing, processing and trafficking marijuana, said the provincial Public Security Bureau on Thursday.

The police, who worked with their counterparts in 19 cities in nine provinces and regions including Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipalities and Heilongjiang Province, also confiscated 1,400 kg of refined marijuana, 6,200 kg semi-finished marijuana joints, 300,000 yuan (about 44,000 U.S. dollars) of drug-related money, five vans for conveying marijuana and 23 controlled tools and some drug-making facilities, a report from the police detailed.

The Jilin Provincial Public Security Bureau got a tip-off in June last year and discovered that 12 farmer households had planted 12.6 hectares of marijuana in Yongjiu township, in the city of Songyuan.

The bureau set up a team to follow the case and found 600 hectares of planted marijuana, with the earliest planting date traced back to 2004.

The Narcotics Control Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security started to oversee the handling of the case in November, 2008.

The report said that "the suspects had clear division of responsibilities, including planting, processing and trafficking."

But it didn't disclose when the case will be handed to the court.