Police arrest 58 suspected gangsters

Police in Guangzhou detained 58 suspects in a special operation that involved more than 740 police officers earlier this month, they announced at a news conference on Monday.

The detainees included three heads of the criminal gang that used violence to monopolize markets, force others to trade, illegally operated casinos and owned weapons. They trafficked in drugs, acted as loan sharks and intentionally injured others in Conghua, a suburban city of Guangzhou, since 2007.

Fourteen detainees tested positive for the drug ice, according to police officers.

The special operation, code-named 228, was launched in the early morning of June 7 after police spent months investigating the gang.

Two replica guns and many other criminal tools were seized when police officers in 60 small groups busted four secret locations used by the gang.