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China marks anti-drug day with executions

AT least 20 people were executed, an equal number condemned and hundreds put on trial as China marked a global anti-drug day with stark warnings of rising illicit drug use, state press said.

The executions and trials took place throughout the nation in recent days, Xinhua news agency reported, with six convicted traffickers executed in Beijing in one day.

June 26 marks the UN's International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, a date when China has traditionally executed and sentenced convicted drug traffickers to illustrate its resolve in fighting the scourge.

Courts across China handled more than 14,000 drug-related cases between January and May, up 12 percent from the same period last year, the report said, citing judicial authorities.

Nearly 6,400 people have been convicted of drug crimes and received sentences ranging from five years in jail to death over that period, it said.