China solved 39,000 drug crime cases in the first six months of this year, the Ministry of Public Security announced on July 23.

Police arrested 45,000 suspects for drug crimes and dismantled 111 illegal drug-making plants, said Liu Yuejin, head of the anti-drug department of the Ministry of Public Security, at a conference in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

In the first half of the year, police nationwide seized 2.7 tons of heroin, up 17 percent from last year, and 3.6 tons of methamphetamine (also known as "ice"), up 13 percent, Liu said.

Police uncovered 162,000 drug users in the six months, among whom 95,000 were new users, taking the number of registered Chinese drug users to over 1.43 million, Liu said.

According to Liu, during the first half of 2010, a total of 75,000 drug users in China received compulsory drug addiction treatment in rehabilitation centers while 32,000 drug users received drug rehabilitation without having to live in rehabilitation centers.