Dozens of armed Chinese gangster suspects arrested at wedding banquet
Raid part of a crackdown on organised crime in Guangdong province, news agency reports
More than 140 suspected gangsters armed with metal bars and knives were arrested at a wedding banquet in southern China in a huge police raid, according to a news agency report.
The arrests were made in Shenzhen in Guangdong as part of a crackdown across the province against organised crime, China News Service reported.
Police released details of the operation on Thursday, but the report did not say when the raid on the wedding banquet took place.
The gang targeted in Shenzhen was led by two brothers and had been operating since 1999, police were quoted as saying.
The suspects are accused of 128 crimes, including operating underground casinos, drug dealing, extortion, robbery and possessing firearms.
They are also accused of vandalism and taking part in gang fights, according to the report.
The cases have been handed over to prosecutors.
Raids took part in 21 cities across Guangdong with more than 130 gangs targeted, according to the report.
Some 1,420 suspects were detained, the Southern Metropolis News reported.
