CHANGSHA, July 16 -- A total of 223 suspects were arrested and more than 700 kg of drugs were seized in a drug trafficking case, police in central China's Hunan Province said Tuesday.

Police in the city of Yueyang followed a clue from a drug trafficking case from last October and later discovered a large drug trafficking ring scattered across the provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Yunnan.

A special team was established in March to investigate the trans-provincial drug trafficking network and their illegal trading.

Police in separate locations conducted capture operations in May and June, seizing 223 suspects and confiscating 705 kg of drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine.