BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Police from China's Hainan Province have escorted 11 individuals accused of running illegal gambling operations back to China from Malaysia, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

The suspects, who had been in hiding overseas, had long been running illegal lottery operations. The gang recruited domestic agents and gamblers through social media and offline promotion, luring people into gambling with the prospect of high odds. The case involved an enormous sum of money, per the statement.

Having collected criminal evidence and information, Hainan's public security authorities dispatched a task force to Malaysia in accordance with the guidance of the MPS. With the assistance of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, Malaysian police transferred the suspects into Chinese custody.

Police have been digging deeper into the case, dismantling two additional illegal lottery gambling rings.

A senior MPS official noted that Chinese police will maintain a high-pressure crackdown on gambling-related crimes, continue to deepen international law enforcement cooperation, and apprehend all suspects at large. Enditem