China sentences Australian man to death for drug smuggling

Hooded suspects line up at a corridor waiting to be taken by police from the Guangzhou People's Court. Picture: SuppliedSource:AFP

An Australian man has been sentenced to death in China after allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the country more than six years ago.

According to Ifeng News, the official website of the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced the man earlier this week.

“On the morning of June 10, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court made a first-instance judgment on the smuggling of drugs by the Australian defendant and sentenced him to death for the crime of drug smuggling,” the news site said.

A number of local news sites have named the man as Cam Gillespie.

The court also ordered all of his personal property to be confiscated.

According to another Chinese news site, Mr Gillespie made it out of Guangzhou’s Baiyun Airport but was later stopped by customs officers, who allegedly found 7.5kg of methamphetamine in his checked luggage.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.