A former policeman who was convicted of organizing a crime gang was sentenced to death Monday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Yue Cun, 47 and former head of a police station in Nan'an district, was given death penalty by the Fifth Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing on charges of leading a criminal organization, murder, intentional injury, extortion, illegal detention and illegal business operations among others.

Yue was also fined 150 million yuan (21.97 million U.S dollars) by the court.

Yin Zhiwei, a core member of the gang, was also sentenced to death for participating in a criminal organization, murder and intentional injury, while another member received reprieved death penalty.

Three of the 40 member gang got life imprisonment, while the rest 34 was sentenced to two to 20 years in jail.

Yue began to recruit gang members after he started to manipulate a local cinema in 1996, asking them to collect protection fees from other entertainment venues. He set up a company in 2001 to cover the gang's crimes, according to the court.