The largest gang smuggling case in the history of Zhejiang Province, east China, was adjudicated Thursday, with gang leader Dong Xinshu sentenced to life imprisonment.
Dong was also deprived of political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated.
Another nine of the 11-member gang were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from three to 15 years and fined 50,000 to 200,000 yuan, by the Zhoushan City Intermediate People's Court, with one exempted from criminal punishment.
The case was first tried in January this year. Dong and his gang were accused of smuggling 86,000 boxes of cigarettes and 33,000 tons of diesel oil in 1999, after bribing local customs officials.
The smuggling case resulted in a tax loss of 665 million yuan (US$80 million), a court official said.
(Xinhua 02/22/2001)
