Up to 100 suspected gangsters, accused of involvement in
organized crime, went on trial yesterday in Loudi, in central
China's Hunan Province.
The 98-member gang faces more than 20 criminal charges,
including coordinating underworld organizations, murder, drug
trafficking and abduction, according to local public
prosecutors.
With such a large number of suspects and criminal charges, the
local task force in charge of the case said it is the biggest
gang-related criminal case ever tried in the province.
"The case is so complicated that the preliminary ruling will not
be given until more than 20 days of trial," a task force member
surnamed Li told China Daily yesterday.
97 gangsters, including alleged ringleader 34-year-old Liu
Junyong, stood before the Intermediate People's Court of Loudi. One
member was absent due to a serious physical ailment.
Defending the gang were about 70 lawyers.
Liu and other high-ranking mobsters including Liao Jianwei, Liu
Yonghua and Chen Binbin, who have led the organized crime gang
since 1998, allegedly had 20 active members working for them.
Since 1998, the gang is suspected of organizing some 150 crimes,
causing damage to the city's social and economic fabric.
A murder investigation six years later was what clued police
into the gang's activities.
On June 30, 2004, some 20 members of the gang broke into the
home of villager Chen Xinhua in Shajiang Village. Chen was hacked
to death and two of his relatives seriously injured when they
attempted to alert the police.
A local report said that local governments are likely to stand
behind the gang, which has constantly sought protection and support
from local authorities.
Last month, Vice-Minister of Public Security Bai Jingfu warned
that leaders of the local public security bureaux might be
dismissed if criminal gangs in their localities are crushed through
his ministry's efforts and not theirs.?
Gang-related crimes have been on the rise in Loudi in recent
years. In 2003, a total of 57 gangsters were prosecuted and
imprisoned.
Since 1997, these gangs' activities have left one person dead
and 19 injured.
(China Daily April 11, 2006)