Eighteen people went on trial Monday on organized crime charges in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as the local authority continued its campaign against gang crime.

Huang Changhua, the alleged gang leader, and 17 other people faced eight charges, including assault, illegal trading of firearms, organizing a criminal gang, managing a gambling den, perjury, and drug-related crimes, at the Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate People's Court.

Huang and his gang were involved in a series of crimes from 2003 to 2009 and had seriously disturbed the social and economic order of Chongqing's Fuling District, the prosecutor said.

The trial was expected to last four days, court officials said.

Chongqing police launched a high-profile crackdown on gang crime in July 2009.

More than 90 local officials were prosecuted and 42 were found guilty of sheltering criminal gangs in a wave of prosecutions. The highest official to fall was Wen Qiang, former director of the Chongqing Municipal Judicial Bureau. He was executed in July last year after being convicted of corruption and organized crime charges.