Courts sentenced 30,959 criminals for drug-related offenses in the first five months of the year, a Supreme People's Court spokesman said Wednesday.

Nearly a quarter of the condemned were sentenced to more than five years in prison, life in prison or death, spokesman Sun Jungong said at a press conference.

Drug-related crime not only results in higher rates of drug abuse, but can also trigger other crime, including violent crime, Sun said.

"The courts will severely crack down on drug-related crime and prevent potential hazards posed by such crime," Sun said.

However, criminals who commit minor offenses or who confess to their crimes will receive more lenient punishment in accordance with the law, Sun added.

June 26 is the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The day was established by the UN in 1988 and has been observed annually ever since.