A death sentence was handed down to the two leaders of a 52-member infant trading gang on Sunday by a court in Yulin City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Xie Deming and Cui Wenxian were sentenced to death in a first instance trial carried out by the Intermediate People's Court of Yulin City.

In accordance with the ruling, four other principal criminals --Xin Lifang, Chen Shancai, Li Qimei, and Hu Dongmei -- were also sentenced to death but with a two-year reprieve, and another five principal criminals Cai Liping, Zhao Hongliang, Li Qi, Ge Fashen and Zhang Guiyun were given life imprisonment.

The court was told that the baby trading gang had traded 118 babies among regions including Guangxi, Henan, Anhui and Hubei provinces since 2001 and one infant died after being fed sleeping pills while being transported.

Xie Deming, 57, a farmer from Fumian District of Yulin City, alone sold 46 babies to areas in east China's Anhui Province and central China's Henan Province. Police forces of Guangxi closed down in March two separate major infant trading cases in which 41 babies were rescued.

Because of the number of people involved in the crime, some of whom were medical workers, two other separate public trials against minor criminals were also held in October and November.

Apart from one person who was exempted from criminal penalties, 40 other traders were convicted and given jail terms ranging from 18 months to 15 years.

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2003)