Man Caught Smuggling Over 24kg of Cocaine Into Beijing Likely to Receive Death Penalty

Chinese regulators have given you one more reason to say no to drugs!

On Aug 8, Chinese customs agents arrested a man at the Beijing Capital International Airport for attempting to smuggle 24.1kg of cocaine into China – a record amount to be seized in one arrest, according to Xinhua. The man in question, who was flying from Sao Paulo, hid the drugs in milk powder cans but it was discovered during X-ray scanning of the checked luggage. This case is anticipated to lead to increased drug screening at borders and comes on the heels of reports last month that 16 foreigners were arrested on drug-related charges at English language schools in the Xuzhou area.

The smuggler is expected to receive the death penalty, as drug trafficking is a felony eligible for capital punishment in the Chinese criminal code:

According to the Chinese Criminal Law, Article 347, Clause 1: Those convicted of smuggling, trafficking, transporting, or manufacturing more than 1,000 grams of opium, more than 50 grams of heroin or methamphetamine, or large quantities of other drugs may receive the death penalty.

While death penalty figures are unreliable, drug-related crime convictions are estimated to lead to a large portion of executions in China. The death penalty in drug cases is at times applied following mass trials and in front of members of the public. For example, in June 2018, two people were sentenced to death for drug trafficking in front of 300 spectators and immediately sent for execution. 

Such penalties can also be linked to changes in China's international relations. Following the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada, a Dalian court revised the sentence of Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg's from 15 years in prison to the death penalty. Schellenberg had been convicted of smuggling of more than 222kg of methamphetamine from Dalian to Australia in 2018. This case shocked international observers, as while Chinese law does allow for capital punishment (including in cases involving foreigners), China rarely executes foreigners.

The last time a Chinese execution of a foreign citizen garnered such public outcry was in 2009, for the case of British national Akmal Shaikh. Shaikh was executed for carrying 4kg of heroin into the Urumqi Airport. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the reversal as a clear provocation and as a politically motivated attack on relations with Canada. Thus far, Trudeau's outreach has not reversed Schellenberg's sentence, who remains in custody.

Your takeaway? Don't do, sell, or smuggle drugs in China! Your protections are limited and options for appeal are close to zero. 

READ: You’re in Trouble and Don’t Speak Mandarin: What Now?

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