>LAI Changxing, a notorious smuggling ring kingpin, is to begin a life sentence for smuggling and bribery after he failed to appeal the court ruling, the Intermediate People`s Court of Xiamen in Fujian Province said yesterday.

Lai didn`t appeal within 10 days after the verdict was announced on May 18, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Lai formed a smuggling ring with bases in Hong Kong and Xiamen since 1991, importing cigarettes, cars and other commodities worth 27.395 billion yuan (US$3.69 billion) and evaded duties of nearly 14 billion yuan from December 1995 to May 1999, prosecutors told the court at his trial.

Once China`s No. 1 fugitive, Lai fled to Canada in mid-1999 and for 12 years fought deportation to China by arguing he could face the death penalty or be tortured and would not get a fair trial in his home country. He was repatriated to China on July 23, 2011