BEIJING: China has seen an eight-year decline in drug cases and the number of defendants involved, a trend the top court on Tuesday attributed to the severe punishments against such crimes.
In 2023, courts across the country concluded 33,401 drug cases at the first instance, meting out punishments on 49,603 individuals, down 10.41 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year, according to the Supreme People’s Court.
Nearly 11,000 of them were sentenced to five years or more in prison in 2023, registering a heavy sentence rate of 22.12 percent, said the court.
On the same day, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) also reported a declining trend in the numbers of drug cases handled by procuratorates nationwide in recent years. –Agencies
