64 gang members sentenced in China court

NANNING - A court in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has handed down one suspended death penalty and jail sentences to 64 members of a large crime ring.

Cen Ruiyi, head of the gang, was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve for the crimes of organizing and leading a criminal gang, intentional homicide and injury, said a statement issued by the Intermediate People's Court in Wuzhou City on Saturday.

The other 63 members received jail terms ranging from a year and a half to life, said the statement.

The gang engaged in usury and gambling house operation, which is illegal on the Chinese mainland, from 2006 to 2012.

One person was killed and eight others injured in cases connected to the gang that included extortion, robbery, illegal detention and intentional homicide, according to the statement.