Organized crime gets triple wallop in south

Police across Guangdong province detained 690 suspects in an operation to combat organized crime, including illegal cross-border activity, in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao this month.

More than 28,000 police officers participated in operations that resulted in the seizure of 60 kilograms of drugs, six guns and 540 rounds of ammunition in searches of 13,500 vehicles and raids of some 6,100 entertainment venues - including movie theaters, karaoke bars and beauty salons.

"The operation has dealt a heavy blow to organized crime, including cross-border criminal groups that have been active in southern China," said Zhang Rui, political commissar of the Guangdong Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau.

At a news conference in Guangzhou on Thursday, Zhang said the operation illustrated the close cooperation and exchanges of information among law enforcement agencies and contributed to social stability and prosperity in the three regions.

The operation was part of a campaign code-named Thunder 17, which was launched in March to fight cross-border crime, Zhang said.

"More than 210 suspects from Hong Kong and another 30 from Macao were detained as part of Thunder 17 between March and June," Zhang said, adding that the suspects were involved in organized crime such as drugs, online gambling, prostitution, smuggling of weapons and money laundering.

In a separate operation launched in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, police from the two cities detained 30 suspects, including 10 from Hong Kong, after cracking down on a major a cross-border weapons smuggling operation at the end of May.

Meanwhile 310 guns and 4,020 rounds of ammunition, were seized when a Hong Kong secret crime society was busted, the police said.

In another operation in late May, Shenzhen police detained 10 Hong Kong residents and three mainlanders, seizing more than 180 kg of drugs in a cross-border case.

In a joint operation in mid-May, police in Foshan and Hong Kong detained 10 suspects after gathering evidence of telephone fraud.

Chen Guangchao, a Guangzhou white-collar worker, said it was understandable that the Guangdong police would need to expand their cooperation with the Hong Kong and Macao counterparts when criminals from the three regions have colluded with each other.

More joint operations by the police should be launched in the coming months, he said.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn