China has been facing an epidemic of narcotics. (Photo : Getty Images)
Known to be a staunch anti-drugs advocate, Gudu party chief Wang Hong has swept away his Sichuan Province-located village's notorious narcotics problem after undertaking intense efforts, the Global Times reported.
The village, which is also bordering Yunnan Province, is located along the so-called "Golden Triangle" in Southeast Asia. Drugs have been rapidly spreading along the route since the opening of border trade back in the '80s.
The article noted that around 90 percent of heroin as well as methamphetamine tablets seized by Chinese officials in 2015 originated from the route, citing a drug report issued in February.
China has long been facing "an epidemic of drugs from overseas increasingly penetrating the country," the Global Times wrote.
Wang, even before his rise to authority in his village, has witnessed how their area was plagued with this narcotics issue.
"There might have been five or six families in my village that were dealing drugs back in 2007. Users from nearby villages all came here to buy," he shared.
Wang began his "personal" war against illegal drugs when the local committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) recruited him for its own anti-drugs campaign.
"The village was deserted," he recounted. "Those who dealt drugs got arrested, some of whom were sentenced to death and others spent many years in jail. Those who used drugs either used up their money or contracted HIV. Either way, their elderly parents and young children were left without care. I just could not continue to stand by and do nothing."
Also part of his fight against drugs is his scheme of helping former addicts by offering them employment. As a party chief, Wang has devised strengthened means to continue his advocacy. For instance, he has urged the village elders to agree on the local pact prohibiting drug use and trade.
Besides this, he has also established a vigilante team that works hand in hand with local police, reporting to them any suspected drug activity.
Currently, Gudu is virtually free from drug use and trafficking. Back in 2012, the village started rebuilding their area, constructing modern houses, paving the roads and upgrading infrastructure using government funds and money raised by locals.
With this adamant effort from grassroots officials like Wang, the CPC leadership has become more aware about the significant help authorities at his level may bring to the nation.
