Chinese police seize 400kg of drugs as arrests for serious crimes in Guangdong this year hit 17,000
Detentions include a Hong Kong man in a wheelchair - reportedly the leader of a trafficking gang - and several pregnant women who allegedly acted as decoys for gangs snatching mobile phones
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 15 April, 2015, 2:37pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 15 April, 2015, 2:38pm
Stephen Chen
[email protected]
Chinese police display some of the 400kg of drugs seized in Guangdong last month. Photo: Chinanews.com
Police in Guangdong province arrested a Hong Kong man in a wheelchair last month - allegedly the leader of a trafficking ring - during a raid in which 400 kg of drugs and numerous firearms were seized.
The arrests came as the province revealed on Tuesday that it had arrested more than 17,000 suspects this year involved in serious offences including organised crime, drug trafficking and robbery.
Among other people detained this year were members of eight criminal gangs that included a number of real pregnant woman, who acted as decoys to distract people before thieves snatched their mobile phones.
Zheng Dong, deputy police director of Guangdong, told a press conference that organised crime was the provincial government’s “biggest headache”.
The Hong Kong man was arrested last month, along with 19 suspected associates and buyers, during an alleged drugs transaction.
The suspect, who had earlier been involved in a serious traffic accident, was reportedly detained while using a wheelchair during the deal.
Police said he had insisted on using the wheelchair so he could be present during the deal.
This year police have also arrested members of eight criminal gangs, including a number of real pregnant woman, who acted as decoys while people's mobile phones were snatched.
The victims often let down their guard when they saw the pregnant women approaching, police said.
Zheng told the press conference: “Now criminals are infiltrating our economic and political sectors, especially villages and towns,” he said.
“In some areas corruption has reached down to low-level officials, threatening the foundation of governance.”
He said organised crime gangs were increasingly resorting to using “soft violence” – threats of violence, stalking and harassment to overcome victims rather than using actual physical force – to achieve their aims.
