Police sweep Guangdong in crackdown

A senior police officer said Guangdong province will not be allowed to become a haven for criminals from the neighboring Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Qian Bo, deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the provincial Department of Public Security, made the remark after officers from Guangdong busted 10 major cross-border criminal gangs in a joint operation with Hong Kong and Macao from May 9 to 13.

Police detained 783 suspects, including dozens of Hong Kong and Macao residents, during the operation, which targeted cross-border crimes, including drug crimes, online gambling, prostitution, weapons smuggling, illegal immigration and telephone fraud.

"Police seized more than 1,000 kilograms of different kinds of drugs, 33 guns, 19,509 bullets and froze bank accounts with deposits of more than 58 million yuan ($8.92 million) when they cracked down on 198 cross-border cases during the five-day operation," Qian said at a news conference in Guangzhou on Sunday.

A total of 5,923 venues and 29,753 vehicles were investigated during the operation, he said. More than 36,000 police officers participated, Qian said.

Shenzhen police detained 33 suspects, 22 of whom were suspected of participation in secret societies, when they busted a major cross-border gambling gang they said was headed by Hong Kong residents. Three Hong Kong residents were detained.

Police also seized cash valued at 1.15 million yuan and more than HK$1.2 million ($155,000), along with nine computers and many bank cards.

Officers from Foshan's Shunde district detained 62 suspects, including Hong Kong residents, when they broke up a major online gambling gang.

Meanwhile police from Dongguan detained 11 suspects and seized 15 million yuan in cash and more than HK$504,000, along with bank saving books, cards, checks, computers, recreational vehicles and cars after cracking down on four secret banks.

Action to continue

Despite the achievements, Guangdong will continue to spare no effort to further advance its cooperation with its Hong Kong and Macao counterparts, Qian said.

He said Guangdong police will soon launch a joint operation with Hong Kong counterparts to fight against illegal online soccer betting during the European Cup. The monthlong UEFA Euro 2016 tournament in France, from June 10 to July 10, is typically a peak period for illegal soccer bets.

Lai Tung-kwok, Hong Kong's secretary for security, recently completed a tour of Guangdong and neighboring Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

"Lai sought to expand cooperation in information exchanges and launch more joint operations with Guangdong police to fight illegal immigration and other organized cross-border crimes," Qian said.