BEIJING, June 27 -- China marked International Anti-Drug Day yesterday with the execution of four traffickers and the start of the trial of an alleged drug kingpin accused of having made more than 18 tons of methamphetamine hydrochloride, known as "ice."

The four drug traffickers were executed in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province.

Lian Yongming, Wu Bing, Liu Hongwei and Su Chuwen were accused of trafficking 59 kilograms of heroin. From March to October 2004, the four set up a purchase, transport, storage and sales network in Chongqing, Shanghai and Wuxi. Some 53 kilograms of heroin were sold before they were caught, court sources said.

The Wuxi Intermediate People's Court sentenced the four to death last year; and in February, the Jiangsu Provincial High People's Court rejected their appeal and upheld the original sentence. The Supreme People's Court reviewed the case and gave the final nod to the death penalty.

Meanwhile, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court started the trial of Liu Zhaohua, 41, who is accused of having produced 18.075 tons of ice during the last decade.

It is roughly the same amount seized around the world each year, court sources said; and reportedly has a street value of a staggering US$7.5 billion in some countries.

According to Chinese law, a person who has produced more than 50 grams of the drug can be sentenced to 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death.

Liu's wife Li Xiaoqing and four other accomplices are also on trial.

The court did not release any information about the trial yesterday citing sensitivity, as it involves many details about drug-making techniques and his arrest.

Liu had been on the run since 1999 when police in South China's Guangdong Province found 11 tons of "ice" stored at a warehouse in Guangzhou.

After failing to locate him for a long time, the Ministry of Public Security asked the public for help in late 2004, offering a record 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) reward for a tip-off. Liu was arrested last March at his hometown of Fu'an in East China's Fujian Province.

The Supreme People's Court yesterday also made public two other cases, one in Guangdong and the other in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Qin Tengjun, along with his accomplices, produced and transported 18.2 kilograms of "ice" since October 2002. The Supreme People's Court upheld the death sentence meted out by a local court, and Qin was executed last Friday.

The Supreme People's Court overturned a death sentence given by a Xinjiang court and sentenced Zhou Jianjun, who transported 800 grams of heroin in 2004, to death with a two-year reprieve.

The highest court said Zhou had helped police catch seven other suspects with 180 grams of heroin.

In another development, the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court yesterday sentenced to death Lu Chunming, who was convicted of selling 680 grams of heroin last November. Lu has 10 days to appeal.

Official figures showed that courts handled 47,232 drug cases from 2005 to May 2006, in which 53,205 were sentenced.

(Source: China Daily)