Chinese police uncovered 45,000 drug cases and caught 58,000 suspects in 2005, according to official statistics released Thursday.

"Of the suspects, 46,400 were arrested; 46,000 indicted and 38,000 convicted," according to statistics released by the office of the National Narcotics Control Commission.

China had 785,000 drug addicts at the end of 2005, 89 percent of whom were addicted to heroin, according to the statistics released at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.

"The problem of drug abuse is still developing," said an official with the office.

The statistics also showed that of the heroin addicts, 69 percent were below the age of 35, 30 percent were farmers and 52 percent were people with no jobs.

The practice of sharing syringes among heroin addicts has become a major channel of AIDS/HIV spread. Of the 144,000 people infected with HIV in China by the end of 2005, 39.3 percent could trace the causes to sharing syringes for injecting heroin, according to the statistics.

China cracked 1,550 drug trafficking gangs, destroyed 34 drug labs, seized 6.9 tons of heroin, 5.5 tons of methamphetamine, 2.3 tons of opium, 2.34 million tablets of "ecstasy" and 2.6 tons of ketamine.

Source: Xinhua