Raw antimony ore on display at an exhibition hall in Lengshuijiang, Central China's Hunan Province - known as the "world capital of antimony"- on April 16, 2018. Photo: VCG

A court in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, South China, on Tuesday handed down first-instance verdict to six related cases involving the smuggling of antimony ingots, a dual-use item on China's export control list, sentencing the ringleader to 12 years in prison.

According to the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, 27 defendants, including Wang Wubin, were convicted of smuggling goods prohibited by export control regulations, a court statement read.

Wang, identified as the principal offender and the individual responsible for the largest volume of smuggled ingots in the cases, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and also fined 1 million yuan ($140,000).

The remaining 26 defendants, including Zhou Chusheng, Luo Fan and Hu Xikun, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to four months, along with fines.

The court found that between February and March 2025, Wang conspired with or acted on behalf of overseas smuggling syndicates to organize illegal export of antimony ingots without obtaining the required export licenses for dual-use items. He instructed several co-defendants to purchase antimony ingots, conceal and disguise them, and make false customs declarations in order to evade regulatory oversight and smuggle the materials out of China.

Investigations showed that more than 166 tons of antimony ingots were smuggled or intended for smuggling in the cases, of which customs authorities intercepted more than 96 tons.

In its ruling, the court said the defendants violated China's export control rules, including the Regulations on Export Control of Dual-Use Items, by deliberately evading customs supervision and smuggling goods subject to national export controls. 

Given the serious nature of the offenses and the significant harm posed to national security and regulatory order, the court said severe punishment was warranted.

The verdicts were rendered after the court considered the facts of each case, the nature and circumstances of the crimes in accordance with the law, the statement noted.

According to the Chinese Society for Composite Materials, antimony is an element with both metallic and non-metallic characteristics. Despite its small dosage, it is used across a wide range of industries, earning it the nickname "the monosodium glutamate of industry." Owing to its scarcity and high value, many countries classify antimony as a strategic mineral.

Antimony is widely used in lead-acid batteries, photovoltaic equipment, semiconductors, flame retardants, far-infrared devices and defense products. Antimony-based semiconductors have broad prospects in lasers and sensors, and are also used in military applications such as ammunition, infrared-guided missiles and night-vision equipment.

Global Times