Jian Zhuxing, the man accused of heading Guangzhou's largest crime ring, pleaded guilty to eight charges on Saturday in the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court.

He was accused of crimes including kidnapping, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and illegal detention.

Jian, 43, a native of Xinxing County, said he had violated Chinese laws and asked for the court's leniency.

He also asked the court to release 800,000 yuan (US$97,000) from assets frozen by the Guangzhou procuratorate to his unemployed wife and young son. Jian claimed he had inherited the money from his father.

The trials of the 35-member crime ring began last Monday. The 11 charges involved in the cases included blackmail, murder, robbery, carrying illegal weapons and gambling. The crime ring was allegedly also in possession of eight firearms, 94 cartridges, 15 vehicles, a bulletproof vest and more than 200 grams of drugs.

Several of the members pleaded guilty and requested leniency.

The Guangzhou procuratorate said Jian began building his crime ring in the 1990s, when he monopolized major fruit markets in Guangzhou's Liwan and Huadu districts by using threats, beatings and extortion to intimidate fruit vendors to sign unequal agreements with him.

The court will hand down verdicts and sentences at a later date.

(Shenzhen Daily March 21, 2005)