A man surnamed Chen has been sentenced to death in southeast China's Fujian Province after being convicted of producing the illegal met amphetamine drug "ice" with his family.

Five family members -- Chen's cousins, brother-in-law and nephews -- were given jail sentences ranging from seven years to life by the Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian, the court said on Thursday.

Another drug trafficker, surnamed Yang, who was convicted of providing raw materials and equipments to Chen's family, was given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve by the court. Reprieves are generally downgraded to life imprisonment on the basis of a prisoner's good behavior.

The group was convicted of making 194.5 kilograms of "ice" and partially processing another 71 kilograms of drugs between June 2005 and February 2006.

Chen and his "helpers" were seized on Feb. 24, 2006 when they were busy working at their temporary workshop hidden in the home of Chen's brother-in-law in Lianjiang County.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2007)