A court in China sentenced nine people Thursday for trafficking fentanyl into the United States.

Chinese police busted a drug ring based in the northern city of Xingtai after getting a tip in 2017 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Authorities seized 11.9 kilograms of fentanyl and 19 kilograms of other drugs.

Thursday's sentences included one suspended death sentence, which is usually converted later into life in prison.  The court also gave two life sentences and six lesser sentences.

U.S. officials have criticized China as being a main source of fentanyl, a powerful pain killer 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, as communities across the U.S. have dealt with a deadly opioid crisis. 

Source : VOA