Thousands of gangs busted in crackdown

The nationwide campaign against organized crime has busted 3,291 mafia-style organizations and 10,418 other gangs as of July 31, according to the national office against organized crime under the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Wang Hongxiang, deputy head of the office, said on Wednesday that so far, more than 364,000 criminal cases have been solved and nearly 411,000 suspects have been placed under criminal detention during the campaign, which was launched in January 2018.

As the existence of organized crime is usually connected with corruption and duty crimes, Wang said, authorities have investigated more than 64,800 cases related to public servants providing shelter for such crimes, and over 77,600 people involved in such cases were punished.

According to a case released by the office, a total of 131 officials were involved in the cases related to Liu Li, ringleader of a mafia-style organization in Jixi, Heilongjiang province. Seventeen of those officials were sentenced for acting as "protective umbrellas".

In September 2018, the provincial commission for discipline inspection and the supervisory commission in Heilongjiang found that Liu, also former deputy chief procurator of the Jixi People's Procuratorate, violated Party discipline and broke the law. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for committing 16 crimes, including organizing and leading underworld organizations.

Forty people were arrested for their involvement in Liu's crimes, suspected of offenses including organizing and leading underworld organizations and intentional homicide over the past 18 years. The gangs also allegedly offered bribes to local public servants to form a network for providing shelter for their crimes. Of those 40 people, 12 have received sentences.

Through coercion, extortion and violence, Liu's gangs forcibly bought shares in or illegally operated 11 coal mines and monopolized the local sand and gravel market, obtaining nearly 200 million yuan ($28.5 million) in profits.

On July 20, the Heilongjiang High People's Court sentenced Liu's brother, Liu Gang, to death for committing nine crimes, including joining underworld organizations and intentional homicide.

Given that a number of organized crimes occurred at the grassroots level, and that the criminal gangs usually controlled local village committees and grassroots Party organizations, inspections and supervision at the village level is also a significant part of the campaign.

Chen Yixin, head of the national office against organized crime, said 41,700 village officials involved in organized crimes have been punished.

The office also identified the sources of funds and property ownership of enterprises under the control of gangs to ensure all their ill-gotten assets are properly handled. As of June, 450 billion yuan in assets have been seized and frozen nationwide.

Authorities also struck a balance between destroying the criminals' economic foundation and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises.

Though the three-year special campaign will come to an end soon, the fight against organized crime and gangs will continue, Chen said.

The office will improve the mechanism for the coordination between departments, and long-term prevention and control measures will also be introduced, Chen said.

It will also promote the normalization of reporting platforms, special supervision mechanisms and publicity campaigns to target such crimes.