Society

3 Japanese drug smugglers executed in NE China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-09 09:40

BEIJING - Three Japanese nationals were executed Friday morning after being convicted of drug smuggling and trafficking, the Supreme People's Court announced.

The three Japanese, Teruo Takeda, 67, Hironori Ukai, 48, and Katsuo Mori, 67, were put to death in northeastern Liaoning Province.

Takeda was convicted of buying about 5 kg of methamphetamine in China in June 2003 and instructing another Japanese to take the drugs out of China. The accomplices were caught by police at the airports in Dalian and Shenyang when they attempted to smuggle the drug to Japan the following month.

Takeda was seized by police in June 2004 when he was trading more than 2.9 kg stimulants with other drug dealers, the court said.

Ukai was caught by police at an airport in Dalian in September 2003 when he and a Korean accomplice attempted to pass security check with wrapped drugs hidden under clothes. Ukai was found carrying about 1.5 kg drugs.

Mori was caught by police when he attempted to board a plane from Shenyang to Japan with 1.25 kg drugs in July 2003. His Japanese accomplice was still at large, the court said.