Shanghai cracks down on mafia-style crime

Police in Shanghai arrested 1,017 suspects involved in mafia-style activities last year as the city stepped up its crackdown on gang crimes.

In 2018, local police busted more than 260 criminal cases associated with mafia-style gangs and sealed over 450 million yuan (66.4 million U.S. dollars) worth of related assets.

The city saw a year-on-year drop of 25.2 percent in the number of reported gang crimes.

Local authorities said Shanghai would investigate individuals who provide "protective umbrellas" and continue crackdowns on gang groups involved in pornography, gambling and drug trafficking.

The crackdown also targets those from travel agencies and property management, logistics, intermediary and financial companies.

The city will further fight against gang crimes in emerging industries, including illegal lending and cyber crimes, and move to crack down and prevent mafia-style crimes in the fields of transportation, engineering construction and social media.

China has taken a tough stance and stepped up efforts to crack down on gang crime. In January 2018, it launched a three-year campaign against organized crime and officials who shelter criminal organizations.