CHINA. 8 GUN SMUGGLERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN QINGHAI

four gun smugglers were sentenced to death at the first trial by a local court in northwest China's Qinghai Province. Four others were sentenced to death with two years' reprieve and one other smuggler got life imprisonment, sources with the Intermediate People's Court of Haidong Prefecture in Qinghai said. In addition, five more smugglers were sentenced to imprisonment of 14 to 15 years.
The 14 gun smugglers, with Ma Zeying and Li Zhi as ring leaders, were convicted of having smuggled 914 guns and 1,556 gun spare parts from Pakistan to China between 1995 and 2004. It was the biggest cross-border weapon smuggling case since the founding of the People's Republic of China, sources said.
The four criminals who received death penalties, Ma Zeying, Ma Qi, Li Zhi and Tan Zhenming, smuggled 469, 365, 265 and 232 guns, respectively.