Ten people involved in ice manufacturing and drug smuggling were sentenced Tuesday in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, according to the Fuzhou Intermediate Court.

According to the first verdict of the court, the Fuzhou Intermediate Court sentenced Wang Jianzhang, Chen Ronghua, and Zheng Meiqiu to death, Li Yongshun and Zhang Jianbao to death with a two-year reprieve, Liu Rong life prison, and another four with prison terms from three to 12 years.

Wang, nicknamed "125," was born in Fuzhou and later got Hong Kong citizenship. The "125" gang, led by Wang, is one of China's largest drug smuggling groups. In the past years, the "125" gang made huge profits from multi-national drug trafficking activities.

Besides selling 36.159 kg heroin within China, the gang has also trafficked drugs to the United States since 1996, and planned to set up factories in Indian to produce Ice.

Chinese police arrested all the ten in Fuzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in May 2003. Seven out of them are Hong Kong citizens; one holds US green card and another two are locals in Fuzhou.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2004)