Nanjing Police Deputy Director Tricked 6 Minors into Using Drugs to Meet Performance Quotas; Public Outcry Over 'Manufactured Cases'

(CNA, Beijing, 28th) A former deputy director of a police station in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, orchestrated a scheme to trick six minors into using drugs in order to complete 'investigation and punishment tasks.' The incident, first reported by The Beijing News, has garnered significant attention from the Chinese public.

According to The Beijing News, the former deputy director, surnamed Ma, sought drug-related leads from a contact, Xu, to meet his performance targets. In January 2024, Xu recruited six minors through an intermediary. Ma then provided Xu with e-cigarettes containing etomidate, which Xu and others gave to the minors to smoke in a hotel. Ma then proceeded to 'catch' the six minors as drug users.

In April 2026, the Liuhe District Court in Nanjing handed down a first-instance verdict, sentencing Ma to five years in prison. Three other individuals were also sentenced to prison terms.

Following the disclosure, multiple media outlets published commentaries. Caixin.com pointed out that this was a classic 'man-made injustice' involving multiple minor victims. 'On the scales of performance tasks versus the substantial rights of minors, the deputy director and others unhesitatingly chose the former. Does the 'investigation task' assigned by superiors really matter more than the rule of law and conscience? Anyone with a heart would ask this,' the report stated.

The WeChat public account 'Nian Zi Ji' noted that the crime of deceiving others into using drugs carries a sentence of 3 to 7 years in serious cases, and China's Criminal Law explicitly mandates heavier punishment for deceiving minors. 'Six innocent minors were tricked and labeled as drug users for punishment. If this hadn't been exposed, they would have been under surveillance as drug users for a long time.'

'Nian Zi Ji' further commented, 'This deputy director was sentenced to only 5 years—not even the maximum penalty. Isn't that ironic?'

The incident triggered massive concern on social media. Users on Weibo commented, 'This one was exposed, but how many others haven't been? Why would a police chief design this? Didn't he know it's a crime? Who assigned this task...?', 'What kind of task is this? Isn't it a good thing if no one is using drugs? Why is there a quota?', and 'Where is the conscience of a police official?' Some even lamented the extreme 'involution' within the civil service. (Editor: Zhang Shuling) 1150428