Police in Guangdong province smashed a major drug-smuggling conduit between the Chinese mainland and Australia this month, a senior narcotics officer said on Monday.

The ocean route, which was used to transport drugs between the countries via Hong Kong, was shut down as part of an operation code-named "Blaze", targeting cross-border crime.

"Two suspects have been detained, a Hong Kong resident and a mainlander surnamed Su," said Deng Jianwei, director of drug enforcement at Guangdong Public Security Bureau. Deng spoke at a news conference in Guangzhou, the provincial capital.