Police in the capital of Guangdong province detained 80 suspected members of a triad-related gang led by a local village head surnamed Jiang in two special operations this year.

According to a recent statement released by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, police seized a total of eight guns, dozens of bullets and many offensive weapons.

Meanwhile police have also seized more than 1,000 grams of different kinds of drugs, investigated a total of 26 houses owned by the gang and frozen assets valued at more than 40 million yuan ($6.15 million).

The secret society gang was suspected to have been connected with 69 criminal cases, and of committing 18 crimes, including organizing and attending secret societies, intentional injury, inciting a crowd to brawls and running casinos, the statement said.

Police detained 13 suspected gang members, including the suspected gang head Jiang, in the operation that was launched in Nancun township in Guangzhou's Panyu district in November. More than 100 police officers participated in the operation. Jiang used to be a village head in Nancun township.

Police had detained 67 suspected members of the gang in another bust launched on June 24.

During the June operation, with more than 800 officers, police detained 128 drug addicts and seized more than 300 grams of drugs with the help of a drone.

Photos taken by the drone provided the accurate position of two secret drug dens hidden in forestry areas. It was the first time a drone was used to help fight drugs and related crimes in the southern metropolis.

The crackdown on Jiang's gang has dealt a heavy blow to local secret societies and related crimes, the statement said.

Jiang, 46, a native of Nancun township, was investigated after he was elected as village head through vote-buying in 2011 and allegedly organized his gang to earn big profits from prostitution, gambling and drugs.

Jiang and his gang were also investigated with regard to gaining wealth through illegal resale and requisitioning of land.

Earlier this year, Zheng Dong, deputy director general of the Guangdong provincial Department of Public Security, pledged to fight violent gangs at the grassroots level across the entire province, which borders Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Zheng said more effective and concrete measures will be introduced to help crack down on local township and village gangs in the months ahead.