Major ice drug smuggling culprits executed
( 2001-05-06 09:51) (8)
Five major culprits of China's largest ice drug smuggling case were executed in Taishan city, Guangdong Province.
They are Tan Weisheng, Wang Xiusheng, Zhao Guoju, Lai Guozhan and Fang Yaohong, according to local sources.
From September 1998 to March 2000, a 12-member gang, led by Tan Weisheng, collaborated with another seven-member gang, headed by Du Yongcheng, used fishing boats to smuggle 2,310.3 kilograms of the ice drug from China to the Philippines on many occasions. The case is considered the largest in terms of quantity of the drug that was being smuggled.
On February 8, the Intermediate People's Court of Jiangmen City handed down a ruling in which Tan Weisheng, Wang Xiusheng, Zhao Guoju, Lai Guozhan and Fang Yaohong were sentenced to death, while another chief culprit in the 12-member gang was sentenced to death with a reprieve, five other criminals were sentenced to life imprisonment and the one member of the group was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
The seven members of the other gang were dealt with separately.
After the ruling was given, Tan and his accomplice appealed to a higher court. Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court rejected their appeals and upheld the rulings imposed by Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court.
The execution was finally carried out on April 25 with approval from the Supreme People's Court in Beijing.
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