Police are preparing charges against a “criminal gang” accused of terrorizing vendors at the seafood wholesale market in Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province.
According to police, four individuals have been charged with extortion, false imprisonment, forced business, and “picking fights and quarrels.” The gang forced shellfish vendors to pay protection money lend them their transportation, police said.
The arrests are part of a nationwide crackdown on organized crime that has received prominent coverage from China’s government-controlled media. Authorities have similar cases to come to light, given that smuggling has long been an issue in China’s seafood trade.
