Four Britons Held After Jiangsu Drugs Bust

Four Britons have been arrested in Jiangsu province, the British embassy in Beijing said on Friday, two days after mainland police announced a drugs bust there involving 16 foreigners.

Police in the city of Xuzhou said on Wednesday that a total of 19 people were arrested in a drugs case centring on a local branch of a language school.

Those arrested included seven foreign teachers and nine foreign students, police said.

Police gave no other details on specific nationalities or facts of the case.

"We are in contact with the Chinese authorities following the arrest of four British people in Jiangsu province, and are providing consular assistance," a spokeswoman for the British embassy said.

The spokeswoman said the embassy could not confirm whether the arrests were related to the drugs case.

Swiss-based Education First, which operates a chain of language schools in China, released a statement this week acknowledging a suspected drug case at one of its branches in Xuzhou.

It said the company was cooperating with police on the investigation and that employees found to be involved in wrongdoing would be dismissed.

Drug convictions can attract long prison sentences on the mainland, and the death penalty in cases of trafficking.

China has already sentenced two Canadians to death on drug trafficking charges this year, as a diplomatic dispute with Ottawa rages over the arrest in Vancouver of top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. (AFP)