Shenzhen's public security bureau has announced that a man detained in a crackdown in February is the divisional head of gang with connections to a Hong Kong-based mafia-style outfit.

The gate to a property owned by "Shajing Son Yee On", a division of a Hong Kong-based mafia-style gang, is sealed up by Shenzhen police in February. [Provided to China Daily]

Police claim that Chen Yaodong, also known as "Brother Long", is the head of the Shenzhen division of the Hong Kong-based "Son Yee On" gang. Chen was detained in an early February raid in Shajing town, Bao'an district, along with 102 senior gang members, said Wang Guobin, deputy head of the bureau, at a news conference on Thursday.

Officers confiscated hundreds of millions of yuan, along with four guns, 37 bullets and a number of knives.

Police say that a large quantity of valuables was also discovered at a secret location known to Chen.

Three days after the raid, the Party chief of Shajing, Liu Shaoxiong, whom police claim had close connections with Chen, was also arrested.

At the news conference, Wang said that a senior member of Son Yee On, Chen Xibo, arrived in Shenzhen in the 1980s and solicited people to join a gang called Feiying, or the Flying Eagle Gang. After a crackdown in the early 1990s, Chen Xibo, who is said to be Chen Yaodong's uncle, fled to Hong Kong, but helped his nephew to form a new organization called "Shajing Son Yee On", which used the organizational and management systems of the Hong Kong Son Yee On.

According to Wang, the gang has been involved in numerous crimes, including organizing fights, drug trafficking, forcing women into prostitution, blackmail and making extortion. After an initial investigation, police claimed to have discovered more than 100 cases linked to the gang, including a number of killings.

The gang is said to have a solid economic foundation, owning more than 10 companies, hotels and entertainment spots, as well as a number of houses and cars. It's alleged to have illegally controlled several industries in Shajing, including waste recovery, gas supply, the building materials trade and real estate development.

huangyuli@chinadaily.com.cn