Drug dealers sentenced to death in North China province

TAIYUAN -- A court in northern China's Shanxi province have sentenced two drug dealers to death, while giving two others death sentences with a two-year reprieve for drug trafficking, according to a court statement on Monday.

A total of 12 people were engaged in the drug trafficking case involving 67 kg of methamphetamine, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Lyuliang City.

Liu Zepeng, a drug dealer, along with three other drug dealers -- Liang Jianjun, Li Hongwei and Fan Xiaohong -- bought methamphetamines from Ye Jinlun in Jiazi town in the city of Lufeng in southern China's Guangdong province several times in 2016. They then sold the drugs to other drug dealers from local and outside provinces, said the court.

The court also found that from September 2015 to November 2016, many drug dealers from Liulin county in Lyuliang had bought more than 40 kg of methamphetamine from Liu.

Liu and Ye were sentenced to death while Liang and Xue Yangsheng, another drug dealer from the port city of Qingdao, received death sentences with a two-year reprieve.

Li and Fan were given life sentences. The rest of the gang received sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years in prison.

The court also ruled that they would be fined or their personal property would be confiscated.