Canadian to face trial on drug charges

Dalian Intermediate People's Court is to hear the appeal of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on drugs smuggling charges at 2 pm on Saturday, the Liaoning People's high court announced on Wednesday.

Schellenberg, identified as a Canadian citizen, was seized by local judicial bodies and believed to have smuggled an "enormous amount" of drugs after the first trial, according to Runsky.com, an official news portal of Dalian city.

He is the first Canadian citizen in recent years to be tried in China on charge of smuggling drugs, the Global Times reported.

Schellenberg is another Canadian to face trial in China after the detention of two other Canadian nationals, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and a businessman Michael Spavor.

They are suspected of engaging in activities that endanger China's national security and China's Foreign Ministry confirmed last week that measures had been taken in accordance with the law.

The ministry also confirmed last Thursday that a Canadian woman named Sarah McIver has been placed under administrative detention for illegal employment and faces deportation.

No link has been officially made with the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, by Canadian authorities on Dec 1.

She was detained at the request of the US authorities for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran and is out on bail in Canada.