A woman was sentenced yesterday by a court in Baoshan District to five months’ criminal detention for attempted drug trafficking.

The woman, surnamed Xu, admitted in court that she had given a friend, surnamed Sun, a small bag of white crystals, weighing 0.85 grams, for which she received 600 yuan (US$91.80).

Though it was later discovered that the bag’s contents did not include banned substances, prosecutors maintained Xu’s guilt on the grounds that she believed she was selling methamphetamine, known popularly as “ice.”

Xu said she received a call from Sun on March 6.

On the phone, Sun asked for “ice,” and Xu agreed to sell her a gram, according to Xu.

She then called another friend, surnamed Wang, who then gave her a small bag of white crystals.

Xu then went to Sun’s home to finish the deal and was apprehended by police.

Prosecutors in Baoshan said they have dealt with 507 drug-related cases involving 551 defendants since 2016. Among them, 10 cases involved more than 1 kilogram of drugs.