Drug smuggler sentenced to 15 years

A man who smuggled drugs through international couriers was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison, along with a fine of 30,000 yuan ($4,147), by a court in Beijing.

The capital's No 4 Intermediate People's Court made the punishment against the individual surnamed Zhou public on Sunday, with disclosure of some details in the case.

According to the court, Zhou went abroad for nearly three decades. In the country he lived in buying drugs was not difficult, and the purchase of small amounts of certain drugs is legal.

From May to July 2023, Zhou sought benefits by helping another Chinese nationals, whose surname is Ma, to buy methamphetamine from the country where Zhou worked and lived.

Zhou sent the drugs to China through international express delivery six times during the period. To avoid the domestic supervision, Zhou took various measures to conceal the drugs, such as hiding them in rice paste, in hollowed out notebooks and even in women's underwear, the court said.

He also mailed the drugs to Ma after dissolving them in water and putting them in bottles of collagen oral liquid, it added.

After returning to China in July last year, Zhou asked his companions overseas to continue sending drugs to his domestic residence. He was captured when signing for the courier, the court said, revealing that the sum he smuggled was over 92 grams.

Ma has also been taken in custody, and he is being handled in a separate case, it added.