BEIJING, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Two men were executed in China Tuesday in the country's tainted milk scandal, which sickened 300,000 infants, killing six.
The scandal broke in September 2008. The Shijiazhuang Municipal Intermediate People's Court issued a statement saying Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Geng Jinping was put to death after being convicted of producing and selling toxic food, the report said.
Zhang was found guilty of selling more than 600 tons of melamine-laced protein powder from July 2007 to August 2008. Geng was convicted of selling more than 900 tons of milk tainted with the protein powder to the now-defunct Sanlu Group, from October 2007 to August 2008, the report said.
The two were sentenced to death in January and their sentences were upheld in March by the higher people's court in northern Hebei province, Xinhua said. Later, their executions were approved by the Supreme People's Court, the report said.
The industrial chemical melamine, which can cause kidney failure, was allegedly being used as a milk additive to make it appear higher in protein content.
Twenty-one people involved in the scandal were sentenced in January. Of the remaining 19, one received a suspended death sentence, three were jailed for life and 15 received jail terms ranging from two to 15 years.
