The Supreme People's Court on Monday announced that five
convicted drug traffickers involved in three major drug trafficking
cases have been executed.
According to a court verdict, Lian Yongming, Wu Bing, Liu
Hongwei, and Su Chuwen, set up a drug purchase, transport, storage
and sales network in Chongqing, Shanghai and Wuxi.
Lian, the reported ringleader, and his accomplices were involved
in the sale and transport of a total of 20,284.01 grams of heroin
in ten separate cases, and in the sale of 1,402 grams of heroin in
nine other separate cases on his account or in collaboration with
others.
Wu Bing transported and made arrangements for others to receive
and sell a total of 16,317 grams of heroin in eight separate cases
and sold 100 grams of heroin on his own.
Liu Hongwei was involved in the transportation of 10,825 grams
of heroin in five cases, and Su Chuwen received and stored 8,817
grams of heroin in four separate cases and sold 1,436 grams of
heroin.
Authorities seized 6,381.01 grams of heroin after the gang was
arrested. The rest had apparently been sold.
The Intermediate People's Court of Wuxi City, in east China's Jiangsu Province sentenced the four defendants
to death on July 8, 2005. The four defendants appealed. On February
17, 2006, the Jiangsu Provincial Higher People's Court rejected the
appeal and upheld the original sentence. The case was sent to the
Supreme People's Court for review.
They were executed on Monday, International Anti-drug Day.
The fifth person to be executed was Qin Tengjun, who was
convicted of producing and transporting 18.214 kg of "ice" or
methamphetamine hydrochloride since October 2002. He was also found
guilty for illegal possession of weapons, such as guns and
ammunition.
All the drugs and weapons have been sized by authorities.
The Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province sentenced Qin to death. Qin
appealed but his appeal was rejected by the Guangdong Provincial
Higher People's Court. The Supreme People's Court reviewed the
case.
Qin was executed on June 23, 2006.
In another drug case details of which were released by the Supreme
People's Court on Monday, Zhou Jianjun purchased 762 grams of
heroin through a Ma Xingcai who bought the drugs Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. Zhou stored the drugs in his
mother's home in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Ma has been arrested and given a prison term.
Authorities have seized the drugs and arrested Zhou.
Zhou provided important information that helped police arrest
another seven drug traffickers and seize 178 grams of heroin.
The Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi sentenced Zhou to
death on November 17, 2004. Zhou appealed but his appeal was
rejected by the higher people's court of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region.
Reviewing his case, the Supreme People's Court commuted the
death sentence to death with a two-year reprieve.?
Statistics from the Supreme People's Court showed that Chinese
courts accepted and handled a total of 47,232 cases on drug crimes
and concluded 45,587 cases from January 2005 to May 2006. 53,205
defendants were given sentences, 22,371 of whom were given more
than five years imprisonment, life imprisonment or death
sentence
Jiang Xingchang, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court
said on Monday that Chinese courts will continue to strike hard on
drug crimes to maintain law and order.
China had 785,000 drug addicts at the end of 2005, 89 percent of
whom were addicted to heroin, according to statistics released by
the Ministry of Public Security.
Chen Cunyi, deputy secretary-general of the National Narcotics
Control Commission, said professional drug smuggling gangs have
emerged in China. They collude with overseas drug trafficking gangs
and bring in drugs from overseas. They set up drug selling networks
across the country, using Kunming, Dali, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as
transit centers.
"Although opium poppy production in the Golden Triangle has been
reduced, most of the heroin still produced in the region is
trafficked to China," Chen said at a press conference organized by
the Information Office of the State Council.
He said the production and smuggling of new drugs such as
methamphetamine, or "ice", has increased in recent years. Many
regions in China have reported stashes of "ice" produced in
Myanmar.
Chen also warned that there is a growing threat of drug being
trafficked from the Golden Crescent region of central Asia,
especially Afghanistan.
The Chinese government has tightened drug enforcement at major
railway stations and airports, as well as along the borders with
the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent countries.
(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2006)