The trial of eight members of a drug gang began on Wednesday at
the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court. The case is believed to
be one of the world's biggest narcotic cases.
The defendants -- Chen Bingxi, his wife Chen Baoyu and six
accomplices -- are charged with illegally manufacturing and
trafficking more than 12 tons of methamphetamine, or "ice," on the
mainland from 1999 to 2002. Chen Bingxi is also charged with
obtaining his passport through fraud and deception.
Within a 10-month period, the group allegedly produced 12.4 tons
of high-quality "ice" valued at more than US$5.5 billion. The
quantity is nearly equal to the entire amount of methamphetamine
seized worldwide in 1999.
Chen Bingxi, 49, fled to Thailand but was arrested and
repatriated to Guangdong
in November 2003. The last of the accomplices were also arrested
that year.
The trial is expected to last for several days. If convicted,
all eight defendants face a possible death sentence.
The arrests came during a drug crackdown in Guangdong Province,
which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative
regions.
Zhang Qisheng, a senior member of Chen's gang, was arrested in
2002 and found guilty at his trial. He was sentenced to death in
Guangzhou in October 2004 for selling and trafficking more than 200
kilograms of the drug.
The size of Chen's operation sent shock waves through both
central and provincial governments.
Transporting and possessing narcotics are among the most serious
crimes in China and those who are convicted are usually severely
punished.
Lawyer Wu Shengda said on Wednesday that the court is inclined
to make examples of drug producers and traffickers to deter
others.
(China Daily March 24, 2005)