BEIJING
(Reuters) - A court in southern China has sentenced 36 people to prison terms
of up to 25 years for gang crimes including homicide, assault and setting up
illegal casinos, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
Hainan gang
leader Huang Tuwang was sentenced to 25 years for gang activity dating back to
2005, while other members were sentenced to terms between 12 months and 23
years for a range of crimes, Xinhua said.
Chinese
courts have sentenced several large mafia-style criminal gangs this year, often
for offences involving gambling which is illegal in China.
Huang Tuwang
oversaw a range of illegal businesses including massage parlors, unlicensed
lending outfits and casinos, forming “unlawful control” over certain regions
and industries, said the report.
The gang,
which went by the name “Moon Help”, was made up of more than 40 members and
frequently recruited students and school drop outs, it said.
Last month
27 gang members were jailed for up to 25 years for assault, robbery and
extortion in northwest Shaanxi province. In January a court in Anhui province
sentenced 67 people in a similar case for offences including gambling and
extortion.
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