Fifteen people were convicted by a local court in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Wednesday for producing and selling toxic liquor that left 14 people dead and 41 sick.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced Cheng Caiming, a 26-year-old native of Guangning, to death and confiscated all of his personal property. Two of his employees, Cheng Shihao and Mo Hairong, were sentenced to four and three years and fined 3,000 yuan (US$363) and 2,000 yuan (US$242) respectively.

The court heard that Cheng Caiming bought 15 barrels of industrial alcohol from a local chemical firm between March and May last year for his Guangzhou company, Juhe Chemicals Co. Ltd., which he registered in January 2001.

As was his usual practice, Cheng removed the labels from the barrels and disguised them as drinkable alcohol before selling them to Yi Xinling, who later sold them on to four owners of illegal breweries.

Fourteen people were killed after drinking the liquor produced and 41 others were made ill, 10 seriously.

Yi was sentenced to 13 years in jail, and the four brewery owners were given sentences of nine to 12 years and fined 7,000-10,000 yuan (US$840-1,200) each. Seven brewery workers were sentenced to imprisonment for between18 months and five years.

Sixty-two plaintiffs, the poison victims and their relatives, received compensation ranging from 3,000 to 190,000 yuan (US$363-22,800) each.

The case was first heard by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court from December 7 to 9 last year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2005)