Hou Yuanxiang, who was found guilty of obstructing pharmaceutical management, was sentenced to six years in prison and fined ten million yuan ($1.37 million), according to the first-instance verdict of the case announced by the Huangdao district people's court in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Monday.

Hou was originally an elementary school teacher without any background or experience in traditional Chinese medicine, said the court.

Hou and other defendants, including his wife, daughter and son, all lacked qualifications as TCM practitioners. They purchased uncertified Chinese medicinal materials and intentionally bought drug residues and powders to concoct self-proclaimed Chinese medicine preparations with actual ingredients and formulation sources unclear, the court said.

They indiscriminately sold these preparations to patients with cancers and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which resulted in delayed treatment and worsening conditions for some patients.

Their sales, amounting to over 10 million yuan, were conducted under the guise of TCM treatment, constituting the illegal production and sale of drugs, said the court.

Hou Jing, Hou Yuanxiang's daughter, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison and fined eight million yuan. Hou Yuanxiang's wife and son and Hou Jing's ex-husband were each sentenced to different lengths of imprisonment, along with fines.