Hong Kong (CNN) A Canadian citizen has been sentenced to death in China for producing and trafficking a large amount of methamphetamine, a Chinese court announced Tuesday.

The verdict marks the second time a Canadian citizen has been sentenced to death on drug charges in China this year, amid escalating tensions between the two countries over the arrest of a Huawei executive.

According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province, a total of 11 people were sentenced at the hearing, including one American and four Mexican citizens.

Only the Canadian, who name is translated as Fan Wei, and a Chinese national, Wu Ziping, received the death penalty.

The harsher sentence was due to their role in helping to organize the trafficking operation in March 2012, according to the court statement. In total, they were found to have trafficked 63 kilograms (139 pounds) of methamphetamine.

Read More