CHINA / SOCIETY
Chinese court hears appeal of Canadian, 8 others on drug convictions
Published: Jan 20, 2020 12:00 PM

Police in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province destroy 312 kilograms of smuggled heroin, crack, methamphetamines and marijuana on Wednesday. Guangzhou police found the drugs by inspecting suspicious travelers, packages and cargos. Photo: IC

The High People's Court of South China's Guangdong Province held a public trial on Sunday on the appeal of nine defendants, including Canadian Fan Wei, who was convicted for producing and selling drugs and sentenced to death  in a large cross-border case that also resulted in various sentences for US and Mexican nationals. 

Fan Wei and Wu Ziping, whose nationality was not published, were sentenced to death in April 2019 after a trial involving 11 defendants who were found guilty of producing and trafficking 63.8 kilograms of meth and 365.9 grams of dimethyl amphetamine. 

Nine of those who were convicted in April appealed their sentence and their second trial was heard on Sunday. 

During the second trial, representatives of the defendants fully expressed their opinions, said the court on its official website, noting that it has protected the defendants' legal rights in accordance with the law. Relatives of some of the defendants, officials of consulates general in Guangzhou and people from various walks of life attended the hearing, the court's website said. 

The trial was concluded in one day and the court said it will announce its verdict at a later date.

In January 2019 the Dalian Intermediate People's Court in Northeast China's Liaoning Province sentenced another Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, to death for drug operation. 

Global Times