Five drug dealers were executed and another one sentenced to life imprisonment Monday, on the eve of this year's International Day for Narcotics Control.
According to a press release issued by the Supreme People's Court, the five criminals -- Li Shaoju from Myanmar, Zhou Yu and Li Houyong from Southwest China's Chongqing, He Aizhen and Chen Chun from Central China's Hunan Province -- have been found guilty of smuggling and selling large amounts of heroin, opium and morphine.
The Supreme People's Court reduced a local court's sentence of death for Yang Xianghai of Hunan Province to life imprisonment because Yang had provided clues that led to the arrest of a criminal who made and sold 11 guns.
The court found that Li Shaoju, during the 10 years from 1988 to 1998, had smuggled more than 135,000 grams of heroin, more than 12,000 grams of opium and more than 8,000 grams of morphine from Myanmar to Southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to the press release.
According to Chinese law, the Chinese court has jurisdiction over Li, a citizen of Myanmar, because the crime was committed in China.
Zhou Yu and Li Houyong were found to have obtained more than 15,000 yuan (US$1,800) by selling 150 grams of heroin, while evidence indicated that He Aizhen and Chen Chun had sold more than 2,000 grams of heroin to 14 drug addicts.
According to the Criminal Law, traffickers selling more than 50 grams of heroin or more than 1,000 grams of opium may be given the death penalty.
Chinese courts have repeatedly announced their determination to crack down on drug trafficking. They are also aware that there is a danger of drug trafficking escalating in China.
Lured by the huge profits, drug traffickers in China have been on the increase over the last two decades. Narcotics smuggling is an ongoing problem along the borders of China, particularly in the Southwest and the Northwest.
(China Daily 06/26/2001)
