A man convicted of leading a human trafficking ring that sold women and children was sentenced to death Tuesday in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The 29-strong ring trafficked and sold 88 women and a 11-year-old child to provinces including Shanxi, Fujian, Zhejiang between 2003 and 2007, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Guiyang City, the provincial capital.

The ring head He Kaixun, who kidnapped and sold 35 of the 89 victims, was sentenced to death in his first trial. Another two members, Luo Qin and Wang Yongqing, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. Other ring members faced punishment ranging from two-year jail sentences to life imprisonment.

The court had not received appeals as of Wednesday.

The traffickers promised to provide victims with jobs of packaging tea and sunflower seeds then led them to a fake factory where the ring members pretended to be managers and workers, according to the court.

After time, the factory sent the victims to other provinces on the pretense of purchasing raw materials. Then the women were sold as "wives" to the local people, the court said.

Eighty-eight of the victims were rescued and returned home after police cracked down on the ring, police said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2008)