Nigerian and Chinese drug dealers sentenced to death in Dongguan

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Dongguan Times
June 24, 2009

A Nigerian man charged with drug trafficking in Dongguan was found guilty and sentenced to death yesterday, reports today’s Dongguan Times.

Both Osonwa Okey Noberts and his girlfriend, Zhang Dongxiang, received the death penalty for selling heroin to Chinese drug dealers, who were also on trial yesterday. According to China’s criminal law, trafficking of more than 50 grams of heroin can receive death penalty; police established that Noberts and Zhang had sold 5,978.1 grams and 5,091.1 grams, respectively.

Zhang confessed that Noberts had brought the drugs into China to supply lower-tier drug dealers. According to the report, this is the first case in Dongguan in which a foreigner was sentenced to death.

The paper included a few snippets of the courtroom scene, including Noberts’s refusal to sign the sentencing document, Zhang’s protests that she didn’t know about the drugs at all, and her mother’s reaction to the verdict:

Scene 2: Crying

Judge: (bangs the gavel forcefully): Court adjourned.

(At this point, the gallery is awash in tears.)

Zhang Dongxiang: (Suddenly turns around and shouts toward the gallery) Mom!

Mother: (through thick tears): Dongxiang.

(Zhang Dongxiang grips the railing with her manacled hands. She cries loudly, unwilling to leave.)

Mother: Do as they say.

(Zhang Dongxiang is led away by the bailiffs.)

Today’s paper contained another interesting story of rule-breaking. The Dongguan Times followed up on an earlier story about assistant professor Wen Jianguo of the College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at the Dongguan University Technology who reported Fan Hongbo, dean of the college, for faking research data to obtain funding.

In the latest development, following the rejection of Wen’s accusation by a college-organized academic committee, Wen has claimed that he has been suspended from his job and will likely to be transferred a lower position.

Wen claims he has iron-clad evidence. Fan has referred to him as a “mad dog,” but has refused to address the accusations in detail.

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