[7][5] Due to his strong job performance he received an award for outstanding service and was transferred to a role involving the China Investment Promotion Agency.

[5] Liu became interested in producing drugs as a way of earning money after successfully creating a batch of methamphetamine by himself using chemistry books for reference.

[5] In early 1996, Liu learned the process of making methamphetamine efficiently from a retired Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

[5] During his time in Guilin, Liu used a new alias and adopted the persona of a high-profile businessman who appeared on television and invested in various projects of the community.

[5] Liu moved around China to visit various local universities and scientific research institutions to learn more about the process and collect plant samples and seeds,[5] intending to synthesize pharmaceutical drugs from yew, which was even more profitable than producing methamphetamine.

[5] On 24 November 2004, the Ministry of Public Security put a Level A bounty of RMB200,000 (around US$24,160), the nation's highest, to those who could provide clues for Liu's whereabouts.

[citation needed] On 5 March 2005, Liu was arrested on his 40th birthday in a rented house after informers tipped off his location.

[4][2] Liu was sentenced to death on 26 June 2006 by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court for making over 18 tonnes of methamphetamine.

[7][6][3] The amount Liu made was worth more than US$5 billion and had outweighed the total quantity of methamphetamine seized worldwide in that year.

[7][4] Liu refused to accept the judgment, claiming he never used the formula stated to make methamphetamine, which involved ephedrine, a regulated chemical.