Illegal sand-mining gang is jailed

Brothers get terms of 17 years and 8 years for plundering riverbeds

The No 2 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing pronounced sentence on a gang of 18 illegal sand miners led by a pair of brothers named Wang Xiaolei and Wang Hui from Northeastern Beijing's Miyun county on Tuesday evening.

The gang was accused of crimes including sand mining, blackmail, assault and disturbing public order.