Two members of a child trafficking ring were sentenced to death on Friday in central China's Henan Province, while five others were given prison terms, local authorities said.

Ye Zengxi, 55, and his younger brother, Ye Xiaolin, led the gang in the abduction of nine boys from last April to December in Henan. Eight of the boys were sold to rural families, according to the Nanyang Intermediate People's Court.

The two were given death sentences in the first trial. The other five were given prison terms ranging from two to 13 years.

All of the gang members were ordered to pay 68,000 yuan (9,700 U.S. dollars) to the children's families.

The gang used Ye Xiaolin's 12-year-old nephew to lure the children away from their parents with toys or food, the court said.

The children, aged from two to seven years old, were sold for 12,000 yuan to 33,000 yuan each in Henan and neighboring Shandong Province. All were returned to their families after police smashed the ring this January.

Police said medical examinations showed the boys had not suffered any physical harm during their ordeal.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2008)