KUNMING -- Police in Southwest China's Yunnan province seized 5.76 tonnes of drugs in the first quarter of the year, up 31.4 percent year on year.

Local police uncovered 2,899 drug cases and arrested 3,046 criminal suspects, up 5.9 percent and 11.4 percent respectively, the Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Public Security said Friday.

Police also seized 301 tonnes of drug production materials in the three months. Meanwhile, a further 12,000 drug users received government-funded compulsory drug rehabilitation therapy.

Yunnan is a major front in China's battle against drug crime, as it borders the Golden Triangle, known for its rampant narcotics production and trafficking.

The amount of drugs seized annually in Yunnan accounts for 70 to 80 percent of all drugs seized across the country.