CHINA SENTENCES 9 IN FENTANYL TRAFFICKING CASE AFTER US TIP

Xingtai Intermediate People’s court in Xingtai county, north China’s Hebei province, on 7 November 2019 sentenced nine fentanyl traffickers in a case that is the culmination of a rare collaboration between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement to crack down on global networks that manufacture and distribute lethal synthetic opioids.
Liu Yong was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while Jiang Juhua and Wang Fengxi were sentenced to life in prison. Six other members of the operation received lesser sentences, ranging from six months to 10 years. Death sentences are almost always commuted to life in prison after the reprieve.
Liu and Jiang were accused of manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs. The others were accused of trafficking.