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)