Bi Guangxi's often dangerous front-line battle against drug crime sees him make list of 2022 National Positive and Upward Youth nominees, Zhang Lei reports.
Bi Guangxi, an officer in the anti-narcotics brigade of the criminal investigation detachment at the Fengtai branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, has been cited for his distinguished service. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
A 23-centimeter-long scar on Bi Guangxi's right arm became a special medal engraved on his body.
Bi, born in the 1990s, is an officer in the anti-narcotics brigade of the criminal investigation detachment at the Fengtai branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
His formidable record, starting in 2014 when he was a rookie cop, has made him an unsung hero, having solved seven targeted cases supervised by the Ministry of Public Security, 10 at the municipal level and 39 at the district level.
A man of action, Bi has been cited for his distinguished service, having helped arrest 1,892 people suspected of drug-related crimes, confiscate 102.68 kilograms of drugs, and cut off multiple drug trafficking channels leading to Beijing.
Now captain of the anti-drug brigade, he recently made the list for the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League's 2022 National Positive and Upward Youth nominees.
Anti-narcotics police have the highest casualty rate among all police divisions. "Every mission, I wear myself out illuminating the dark corners, where the poisonous demons reside, so that they have nowhere to hide. It is my duty to protect the happiness of thousands of families," Bi says.
The long scar extends from his upper arm to the forearm, an indelible imprint, not only on his limb, but also on his career and in his mind.
At 3 am on June 17, 2015, Bi and his brigade went to a karaoke bar to detain a suspected drug trafficker, based on an anonymous tip. While taking the suspect away, eight people rushed out, blocking the way of the police car.
Facing the menacing gang holding stones and bricks, Bi showed his badge. Unexpectedly, they charged at him－later claiming that they didn't know they were police because the officers were wearing civilian clothes.
As the car pulled over, the brigade leapt into action. The police and the thugs clashed in what quickly descended into a chaotic scene. For a while, two policemen detained the suspect in the car, and three other policemen confronted the thugs outside the car. However, Bi soon realized that if the fight continued in a stalemate, the police will lose the advantage, the worst case being the suspect escaping－a most unfavorable scenario for clearing up the next case.
Bi has been involved in the arrest of 1,892 people suspected of drug-related crimes, and confiscation of 102.68 kilograms of narcotics. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
In the face of the villains' advance, Bi jumped at the right moment, scuffled with the gang leader, and pressed him to the ground. In the desperate confrontation, the thug resisted violently. Bi, who had been working on investigation for three consecutive days and nights, was extremely tired, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right arm as he struggled to suppress the thug.
It was only after the man was subdued that Bi discovered his right arm had been severely injured. At 5 am, Bi was taken to the hospital by his colleagues.
X-rays revealed the humerus of his right arm suffered a comminuted fracture. After a 6-hour operation, a 23-centimeter-long plate and 11 steel screws were permanently embedded in his right arm, accompanied by a blue disability certificate issued to the hero.
If it weren't for the injury, Bi would have traveled with his wife and enjoyed a long-awaited honeymoon.
In the eight years since his fledgling anti-drug career began, thrilling scenes of hero cops arresting bad guys in TV shows have been his daily reality. For him, fighting on the front line against drug crimes is always a matter of life and death.
The fight with a suspect in the drainage ditch of an expressway left him with multiple bruises on his body. Common occurrences are not limited to running through crowds and jumping railings to chase a drug trafficker, or fighting a suspect face-to-face with his bare hands against the blade of an opponent's knife.
When a drug dealer's vehicle tried to evade a roadblock, Bi broke the window, jumped into the car and grabbed the keys, leaving his forearms and hands cut and scratched by the shattered glass.
Anti-drug police usually cannot reveal their identities in public, and they often rush to the scene before they can give their family a heads-up of the predicament they might find themselves in.
In May 2020, when his wife was about to give birth, Bi was undertaking the most difficult and tiring investigation, following a suspect for five consecutive days and nights. The summer heat pierced his clothes, which were wet and sticky with the smell of stale sweat. In the end, he and his colleagues arrested the suspect and seized more than 20 kilograms of heroin on the spot.
However, the case was far from over, and it was necessary to consolidate evidence and weigh samples. In a confined and narrow space, he was exposed to the drugs for 14 hours. Continuous contact with the drug particles in the air caused a splitting headache and dizziness, he recalls. After weighing the drugs, his urine tested positive for traces of morphine.
Facing the increasingly cunning modus operandi of their foes in recent years, Bi and his team need to constantly sharpen their investigative skills.
Bi has been involved in the arrest of 1,892 people suspected of drug-related crimes, and confiscation of 102.68 kilograms of narcotics. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
In 2021, Bi expanded his intelligence networks, explored innovative data screening models, and used intelligent anti-drug systems to conduct detailed screening and serialization, based on the hierarchical relationships among drug traffickers. The in-depth research, and conclusions it generated, helped to smash a drug gang involving more than 130 people.
Bi has witnessed too much of society's darkness. "Sad" is a word he uses the most. Whenever he sees young people who have gone astray because of drug use, he always feels uncomfortable.
Bi still remembers a 9-year-old boy, who, after his mother was arrested, followed him to the police station and told him calmly that he spent more time at the police station than at home because his mother was a drug dealer.
In recent years, drug trafficking has presented challenges with the introduction of different, new types of drugs－especially those that are good at disguising their nature and are difficult to identify. Often they appear light and nontoxic, deceiving young people with their strong curiosity and weak judgment, Bi says.
"They see it as trendy and cool. A crackdown on drug crimes is not enough, publicity and guidance are of vital importance, so that the majority of young people can understand the danger of drugs. It's through knowledge that they can truly reject drugs."
As an ambassador of the "Beijing youth model" and an anti-drug campaigner in Beijing's Fengtai district, he goes around promoting anti-drug campaigns. In the past year, he conducted more than 20 lectures for government agencies and schools online and in person that have reached more than 10 million young people.
In addition to preventing and combating crime, it is equally important to help drug addicts kick their habit and reintegrate into society. Bi developed a family liaison system, popularizing the characteristics of drug use among the family members of drug users. He urged their family members to look out for them and developed a supervision method, helping people affected by drug crime to return to society through the warmth of family.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a drug addict under Bi's supervision has lost his source of income and has been experiencing thoughts of suicide. Bi has talked him out of it and offered him comfort many times through WeChat messages and numerous phone calls, and also lent him 4,000 yuan ($597) to temporarily tide him over financially.
"Policing is not only a job, but also a sense of mission," Bi explains. After having a child, Bi's sense of mission became stronger.
Looking at his 2-year-old child, he feels the need to protect "the flowers of the country".
On July 1, 2021, China became the first country in the world to implement control on the entire category of synthetic cannabinoids, according to the National Narcotics Control Committee.
"I hope that through the efforts of our generation, the next generation can stay away from drugs and grow up healthily. It's worth it," he says.
Contact the writer at zhanglei@chinadaily.com.cn
