Gangster, Casino Operator Executed in China

Liu Han, a former mining tycoon and casino operator, has been executed in China along with his younger brother, Liu Wei, and three other criminal associates named Tang Xianbing, Zhang Donghua and Tian Xianwei. All five men were of the Sichuan Hanlong Group, which ran casinos, carried out mafia-style killings and owned a large arsenal of illegal firearms.

Prosecutors showed that Han ran this vast criminal enterprise, consisting of gambling, real estate, and mining interests in Australia and the U.S. At its height, the Sichuan Hanlong Group included 36 and owned a vast fleet of luxury cars, including Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. They also maintained a good relationship with local police and prosecutors by hosting drug-filled parties.

Amid all of their wealth and social connections, the gang engaged in multiple murders, with nine victims being tallied by prosecutors. As IBTimes reports, one killing spree in particular brought negative attention to the group, as they murdered three people in a teahouse. The suspects were later apprehended, itting that the three people they shot dead were enemies of Wei.

This prompted a federal investigation that revealed how the Liu brothers violated development and property laws, embezzled money, organized other murders and assaulted numerous people. It was eventually discovered that the Sichuan Hanlong Group’s criminal activities brought in 40 million yuan ($6.4 billion) in profits. And this is the reason why Forbes ranked Han as the 148th richest person in China in 2012.

However, the good times for Han quickly ended when the authorities raided his home in 2013, finding hand grenades, submachine guns, pistols and knives on the property.

It looks like trouble runs in the family since the Liu brothers are sons of disgraced security chief Zhou Yongkang. The latter lost his Communist Party hip after being accused of several violations, including taking bribes, giving favors to friends and mistresses, and leaking state secrets.

The crackdown on Yongkang coincides with President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, which seeks to punish both “tigers” (high-level government officials) and “flies” (low-level officials). Additionally, Jinping has targeted Macau, China’s special istrative region and the world’s biggest casino destination. This effort is designed to not only stop local government corruption, but also prevent money laundering – which Macau has become a haven for.