Society

28% of China's drug convicts receive severe penalties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-22 07:34

BEIJING - China's courts sentenced 18,961 drug offenders to more than five years in prison or to death last year, a Supreme People's Court spokesman said on Tuesday.

Related readings:  Foreigners involved in a third of city's drug trials, many impoverished mules  Party drug use continues its rapid increase    Police bust cross-border drug smuggling ring

The figure, which accounts for more than 28 percent of the total number of criminals convicted of drug crimes last year, saw an 8.6 percent increase from the previous year, said spokesman Sun Jungong.

He said the courts dealt with more than 59,000 drug cases last year, up nearly 15 percent year-on-year.

"Severely cracking down on these crimes is the key to frightening criminals and curbing drug-related crime," Sun said.

Criminals involved in drug smuggling, armed trafficking and organized transnational drug crimes were severely punished in line with the law, he said.