US, China, and Thailand coordinate to seize record 5 tons of meth in East Sea

By Minh Nga October 12, 2025 | 06:56 pm PT

A China Coast Guard vessel is seen near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Feb. 16, 2024. Photo by AFP

Drug enforcement agencies from the U.S., China, and Thailand have coordinated to seize a record haul of nearly five tons of methamphetamine near a reef in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), China's anti-narcotics agency, the Chinese Coast Guard, and the Royal Thai Police carried out a joint operation intercepting the vessel Jisheng, located 240 km southwest of Scarborough Shoal.

Authorities seized 4,973.4 kg of methamphetamine and arrested seven suspects, according to the Bangkok Post, which cited the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, People's Daily.

The operation took place on Feb. 24 but was only officially reported by People's Daily on Oct. 10. Jisheng is a general cargo ship with a maximum capacity of 700 tons, built in 1994, and currently sails under the Mongolian flag, the report added.

The seizure marked the largest maritime drug haul in the Asia-Pacific in recent years and demonstrated a major milestone in trilateral law enforcement cooperation, China Daily reported, citing a statement from the Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission.

The office stated that the operation relied on intelligence provided by the U.S. DEA, with the Royal Thai Police and DEA collaborating on the investigation and proactively sharing information with Chinese authorities, who responded promptly.

Drug control remains one of the few areas where the U.S. and China maintain cooperation amid rising bilateral tensions. This cooperation was suspended by China in August 2022 but resumed a year and a half later with the launch of a joint counter-narcotics working group in January 2024.

According to Reuters, the group primarily addresses the fentanyl crisis but also serves as the main mechanism for bilateral cooperation against all types of illegal drugs.

Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea is a circular coral reef located about 240 km from Luzon, Philippines, and nearly 900 km from China's southeastern coast. Both the Philippines and China claim sovereignty over Scarborough, but Beijing has effectively controlled the shoal since 2012.