Three men have been arrested on suspicion of a drug-related murder in Chongqing in a case that shines a light on the municipality's violent underbelly.
Fu Shipei , Zhang Mengjun and Wu Chuangjiang were arrested in Hubei , Sichuan and the municipality respectively, the Chongqing Economic Times reported yesterday. They are accused of gunning down Li Minghang, 44, as he parked his BMW at home on June 3.
Police also arrested more than 50 people on narcotics, gun and triad charges, including Chen Mingliang , a deputy to the People's Congress of the city's Yuzhong district. Chen was caught in a hotel raid gambling and taking drugs.
Police found two sub-machine guns, two pistols, a shotgun, about 440 bullets and a grenade at the home of one of Zhang's relatives. Zhang told police that they had bought the weapons in Chengdu with the intention of killing Li. Police said the murder was over a drug dispute. Li had been involved in drug trafficking and loan sharking. The alleged gunman, Wu, had bought heroin from Li and then resold it.
In 2002, Wu deposited 60,000 yuan (HK$68,000) into Li's bank account, but Li disappeared with his money. Wu tracked down Li in Chongqing last autumn. He enlisted the help of Zhang and Fu to buy weapons and keep track of Li. According to police, Wu shot Li.
The murder sparked concerns about law and order. A sentry was shot dead outside a People's Liberation Army garrison on March 19, after which Bo Xilai , the Communist Party chief of Chongqing, called for a crackdown. The government captured more than 700 guns and 20 tonnes of explosives this year.