YANGJIANG, China – Scores of police gripping black clubs guarded a courthouse in southern China on Tuesday — the first day of a trial for two alleged gangster bosses, the "Hammerhead" and "Spicy Qin," accused of using violence to build an empire that included everything from underground casinos to cement factories, truck lines and poultry markets.
The case has further exposed the dark side of Chinese society, where crime experts say gangs are thriving amid a weak legal system, corrupt government and policies that seem to value economic growth over almost everything else.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse in the small southern coastal city of Yangjiang, hoping to get a glimpse of the alleged mob kingpins — who arrived under tight security in a police bus with black ski masks over their faces to protect them from attack and publicity.
The defendants Xu Jianqiang, known as the "Hammerhead," and his partner, Lin Guoqin, or "Spicy Qin," were arrested in November 2007 in Yangjiang, which calls itself the country's knife and scissors capital because it boasts a big industry churning out sharp tools.
Court clerks said there were no open seats in the courtroom for an Associated Press reporter, and officials refused to provide copies of the indictment against Xu, Lin and 41 of their alleged henchmen.
But a notice taped to a courthouse wall said the men were accused of leading a gangster, or "black society," organization that engaged in fraud, tax evasion, armed robbery, illegal detention, malicious injury and gambling, "among other crimes."
If found guilty, they could be sentenced to death for such a long list of offenses. The court hasn't said if they've entered a plea for all the charges yet, and their lawyers haven't made public comments.
But the state-run Southern Metropolis Daily reported Wednesday that Xu pleaded innocent to charges of premeditated murder and gun dealing.
One court spectator said the defendants were known to have owned casinos all over the city.
"I gambled in one once. It had baccarat, everything," said the middle-aged man, who only gave his surname, Li, because he feared the police and gangs. "These guys were so big and powerful, the police didn't dare touch them for a long time."
Xu, according to state-run media accounts, was a Tony Soprano-type of gangster — a burly guy with a flat bulldog face who liked to brawl and muscle his way into deals. One photo shows him in a white undershirt with a crew cut and dark sunglasses.
The local reports suggest Lin was more like Michael Corleone from "The Godfather," a suave operator who sought to cover his criminal tracks with legitimate businesses. Pictures have shown him in a natty dark suit or smiling in a gray tweed blazer over a cranberry crew neck.
Before his arrest, Lin held high-ranking posts in several business groups and had a seat in Yangjiang's local legislature.
The way gangsters — or triads in local slang — have been joining forces with business leaders and officials to create powerful syndicates is a serious problem in China, said Dennis Wong, head of the criminology department at City University of Hong Kong.
"The reason organized crime groups are so prevalent in mainland China is that China has yet to establish rule of law and people do not respect law," he said. "It is still a country ruled by people, so it's easy for triad gangs to exist."
Wong added that the problem is compounded by the government's policy of fixating on economic growth. Officials often turn a blind eye to gang-controlled casinos and brothels because they provide a service demanded by the businessmen who stoke the economy, he said.
"Chinese police fully understand this fact, so they rarely crack down on prostitution and entertainment parlors," Wong said.
Associated Press writer Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
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