Major crackdown deals heavy blow to criminals in Guangdong

Police across South China's Guangdong province have detained more than 17,600 suspects after cracking down on 4,300 criminal cases involving gambling and another 2,520 criminal cases involving the sex trade in the first eight months of the year.

The crackdown dealt a heavy blow to illegal events in the southern province, the window of China's reform and opening up, as police gave top priority to fighting against organized crimes, criminal gangs and chains in previous months, according to Cai Hui, director of the Social Security Bureau of Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security.

"And a number of criminal gangs that used to be active in the southern Chinese region also have been busted after a series of special operations that were launched from January to August," Cai said.

"The firm crackdown has played a big part in ensuring a good and sound social order for the country's celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1 and the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland in December," Cai told a press conference in Guangdong's provincial capital on Tuesday.

He reiterated Guangdong police have zero tolerance for any crimes that threaten the province's social security, people's lives and property.
Cai hinted more special campaigns will continue to be launched to fight against crime in the province, one of the country's economic powerhouses, before the end of the year, despite the achievement.

In Guangzhou alone, police detained more than 190 suspected gamblers, including bankers, organizers, gang heads and key members of the gangs after busting a major gambling gang in August.

Plenty of computers, mobile phones, bank cards and bank books were seized after the major crack down on the gambling case.

And police in Zhanjiang in eastern Guangdong province detained 140 suspects in July after busting another major criminal gang that used to be active in organizing online gambling and operating secret casinos in the port city.

In addition to computers, mobile phones and bank cards seized in the police operation, police also seized cash worth more than 7 million yuan and frozen assets valued at more than 280 million yuan ($40 million) that the gangs used for gambling.

An investigation revealed the case involved more than 20 billion yuan.