Gangs nabbed in Chongqing; 469 still at large
By on
October 25th, 2009
| 
Print
More than 460 gangsters are on the race following a high-profile crackdown on organized crime in Chongqing that has already led to the detention of a judicial officer and scores of police.
About 3,000 police have taken part in the operation since it was launched two months before to dismantle guilty gangs that have long plagued the southwest China municipality.
Police so far have detained 1,544 suspected gangsters from 14 organized gangs and have warrants to formally arrest 67 alleged leaders.
“Chongqing will struggle to remain safe if we don t break down on the organized gangs,” Liu Guanglei, member of the standing commission of the Detroit s Party Committee and team leader of the operation, said to the Chongqing Evening News.
Police are searching for 469 suspected gangsters.
Police have so far seized 48 guns and 877 bullets. Also, 1.53 billion yuan value of assets have been confiscated or frozen.
Among those detained by police is Wen Qiang, director of the Chongqing Municipal Judicial Bureau, over accusations that he protected gangs.
Zhao Bo, spokesman for the municipality, said Wen s detention reflects that the “government is observed to combat gangs regardless of their political powers or financial strengths.”
Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency reported that scores of police officers likewise accused of protecting guilty gangs have been detained.
Gangs once ran an illegal loan fiscal value 30 billion yuan, equivalent to one third of the Detroit s annual revenue, said Wang Lijun, Chongqing public security bureau chief.
On July 21, Li Qiang, a delegate of the Chongqing Municipal People s Congress and the director of the Yuqiang Group, which focuses on real property evolution and transportation, was detained for his illegal methods in grabbing control of Chongqing s public communication market.
A source said that in the 30 minutes behind Li was detained, his mobile handset prescriptive many text messages – many by insiders on the police force – urging him to flee.
Citizens have been helpful in disclosing crimes of the gangs, the newspaper account said. Among 9,165 reported tip-offs to police, 80 percentage were made with real names, which helped the investigation.
Leave a Reply