Guangxi gang leader sentenced to death

Gang leader Zhang Jia'ai was sentenced to death by a court in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Wednesday morning for 10 crimes, including organizing and leading a gang, trafficking and manufacturing drugs, and bribery. 

Wen Qiude, a judge of the Liuzhou Intermediate People's Court, also deprived of Zhang of his political rights for life and ordered the confiscation of all his properties.

Zhang was also found guilty of forced trade, illegal use of agricultural land, faking seals of companies and social groups, causing troubles, obstructing public affairs, intentional harm and illegal possession of guns.

It is not known whether Zhang plans to file an appeal.

Another organizer and leader of the gang, Qin Chuntuan, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, deprived of his political rights for four years and had all his properties confiscated. Qin was found guilty of leading and organizing a gang, forced trade, illegal use of agricultural land, forging seals, causing troubles, obstructing public affairs, intentional harm and bribery.

Nine other gangsters were also sentenced, with Luo Honghai jailed for 20 years, Wei Zulei 17 years, Zhang Zhongfan 15 years and Zhang Jiafen 10 years for crimes including being part of a gang, forced trade and intentional harm.

Zhang and 10 other people, aged from 28 to 53, stood trial on Oct 15, according to an earlier media report.

A bar in Liuzhou was attacked by a gang in April and June 2017, causing great economic losses to the bar and a bad social impact. After a year of investigation, police discovered the gang led by Zhang and Qin was responsible for the attacks.

In May last year, Zhong Jun, deputy director of the Liuzhou public security bureau, told a news conference the criminal gang case involved the largest number of gangsters in the widest area and with the biggest influence seen in recent years.

Zhang, Qin and the other suspects were arrested in October last year.

The indictment said Zhang had made more than 13 million yuan ($1.86 million) from the manufacture and trafficking of drugs by the time of his arrest.

A luxury villa he owned in Liuzhou's Lubi village was seized by the police in June as a "drug-related asset".