Huang Jun’an and Ge Huaping were sentenced to 11-year imprisonment, while Ma Zige and Ma Guizhen will be jailed for eight and seven years respectively. Each of the smugglers were fined 10,000 yuan (US$1,300).

Earlier this year, the police in Xuchang county of Henan Province found in a microbus 99 caged macaques, one of which was dead. Police detained the suspects immediately.

Under interrogation it was found that the four smugglers have transported and sold more than 300 macaques since early 1997.

They have also provided clues to other criminal rings involved in illegal trading of nearly 2,200 macaques.

(People’s Daily 12/03/2000)