Marine police in Guangdong bust 23 criminal organizations

Marine police from South China's Guangdong province have detained 97 suspects and arrested another 44 after busting 23 criminal organizations in a campaign to combat sea-based crimes.

According to a statement released by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Public Security over the weekend, police across the coastal province solved 77 cases of theft involving marine ranches during the campaign from late March to the end of July.

The police cooperated with relevant departments, including agriculture and rural affairs, comprehensive marine law enforcement and market supervision, to carry out joint patrols and inspections during the campaign to investigate uncertified fishing vessels, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the police also strengthened the dynamic monitoring of fishing ports, docks and wholesale seafood markets to promote the supervision and management of the marine aquaculture industry in the province with the country's longest coastline, according to the statement.

It added that the campaign has helped strengthen the construction of technical defense facilities around marine ranches, created a safe and stable fishing production environment for fishermen and breeders, and contributed to Guangdong's high-quality marine economy development.

During one of the campaign's operations in March, police detained 12 suspects and confiscated two vehicles and many bank cards, account books and mobile phones. The suspects had been active since 2019 and were found to have stolen 1,362 kilograms of gold pomfrets.