Jian Zhuxing, the man accused of heading Guangzhou's largest
crime ring, pleaded guilty to eight charges on Saturday in the
Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court.
He was accused of crimes including kidnapping, drug trafficking,
illegal possession of weapons and illegal detention.
Jian, 43, a native of Xinxing County, said he had violated
Chinese laws and asked for the court's leniency.
He also asked the court to release 800,000 yuan (US$97,000) from
assets frozen by the Guangzhou procuratorate to his unemployed wife
and young son. Jian claimed he had inherited the money from his
father.
The trials of the 35-member crime ring began last Monday. The 11
charges involved in the cases included blackmail, murder, robbery,
carrying illegal weapons and gambling. The crime ring was allegedly
also in possession of eight firearms, 94 cartridges, 15 vehicles, a
bulletproof vest and more than 200 grams of drugs.
Several of the members pleaded guilty and requested
leniency.
The Guangzhou procuratorate said Jian began building his crime
ring in the 1990s, when he monopolized major fruit markets in
Guangzhou's Liwan and Huadu districts by using threats, beatings
and extortion to intimidate fruit vendors to sign unequal
agreements with him.
The court will hand down verdicts and sentences at a later
date.
(Shenzhen Daily March 21, 2005)