'Godmother' of Chinese gangsters jailed for 18 years

04 November, 2009 01:20:00 editor

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One of China’s most notorious illegal casino operators, a 46-year-old woman who kept a stable of 16 young men as her lovers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison as part of a crackdown on organised crime, the Times reports.
Xie Caiping is the latest to be convicted in a sweep that has exposed the revival of the Triads, the Chinese mafia. The mobsters had bribed government officials to turn a blind eye to their operations, which China claims have been eliminated with the advent of Communist Party rule.
A court in Chongqing ( South-western China) delivered the verdict on Nov 3. Xie Caiping was fheld guilty of running a huge gambling syndicate.
Gambling is a national obsession in China; it was a capital offence during the Song dynasty (960-1279) but by the time Ming dynaty came to power (1368-1644), the punishment was reduced to a hand chop..
The Times report said Xie ran wo gambling dens inthe city hotels, nightclubs, and tea houses.. Her income was estimated to be at least 180,000 pounds.

She was also involved in drug trafficking and enjoyed protection from the law because her brother -in-law headed the local judicial system.

Last month courts in the same Chongqing city sentenced six gangsters to death in trials linked to the underworld. A sweep against Triads, which had terrorised the city for several years, has gripped the nation with tales of sex, violence and corruption, according to reports.

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