The head of a criminal gang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for intentionally inflicting injures and illegal mining in the city of Shaoguan in the northern part of Guangdong province on Monday.

Pan Guangjuan was also deprived of his political rights for life and fined 150,000 yuan ($23,885, according to the verdict passed by Shaoguan Intermediate People’s Court.

Under existing laws and regulations, a suspended death sentence is likely to be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, if the prisoner does not commit any offenses while in jail.

Pan and his gang members were found to be illegally mining rare earth in the mountains of Yaotian township of Xinfeng county under the administration of Shaoguan from November 2011 to February.

Their illegal rare earth mining seriously destroyed local forestry and mineral resources. Guangdong Provincial Department of Land and Resources estimated the economic loss caused by the illegal mining of rare earth by Pan’s gang reached 78 million yuan ($12.4 million).

Investigators found the gang illegally mined 516.25 tons of rare earth oxides.

On February 27, Pan and his gang illegally detained nine local villagers who went to the mine to pick at the rare earth ores.

One villager was killed after he was forced to drink oxalic acid. A gang member was charged with murder and causing intentional injuries over the villagers death. Seven other villagers were badly beaten by the gang members.

Sources at Shaoguan Intermediate People’s Court said Pan and his gang members should be seriously punished according to the law, as they have committed serious crimes that resulted in grave social consequences.

The other eight members of Pan’s gang were also sentenced from five years to life in jail.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn