Police net gun haul in crackdown on gang

A gang that made and sold guns were caught and 180 of their weapons seized, police in east China’s Jiangsu Province said on Thursday.

The authorities also seized more than 3,000 gun parts and 20,000 steel ball bullets after an investigation that lasted two and half months, said Cao Xiang, police chief of Jiangyan District, Taizhou.

Fourteen suspects — including the gang leader, surnamed Shen — were held in connection with the case.

Shen confessed to producing and selling gun parts.

More than 3,200 people from 30 provincial areas were involved, and most of them bought guns or parts online from the gang, Cao said.

Under the oversight of the Ministry of Public Security Bureau, local police started an investigation in mid-April, after an express package labeled as a fine pipe was found to be a gun barrel.

Police said Shen registered an online shop in March. To avoid being caught, the gang sold the gun parts separately, and buyers would assemble the guns themselves.

More than 3,000 parts have been sold via the online shop.

In China, it is illegal for civilians to possess guns or buy and sell gun parts