Court proceedings began on Monday against a crime gang in Anhui which was alleged to have reaped huge profits from gambling and loansharking activities in the eastern China province, local authorities said.

The 52-member gang, the largest in the province, was accused of operating five gambling houses in Chuzhou City starting in 2002. It allegedly profited by at least 4.8 million yuan (675,437 U.S. dollars) between 2004 and 2005, according to the city's Intermediate People's Court.

The court heard the gang amassed fabulous wealth through "loaning" more than 40 million yuan starting from 1998. The interest rate was said to bring in nearly one million yuan a month.

More than 10 people who failed to pay the interest allegedly suffered threats, illegal detention and assault and battery, the court heard.

The trial was expected to last two weeks.

Gang leaders Wang Yiqiang and Wang Yigang allegedly recruited scores of unemployed people to their companies known as Huayang Industry Co. Ltd and Yigang Trading Co. Ltd., the basis for their operation, according to the court procuratorate.

In the 1980s, the brothers had served prison terms for gambling activities and malicious injury.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 11, 2008)