Shanghai's top crime boss executed: Report

SHANGHAI: Shanghai's top gangster was executed this week after China's top court gave the order for him to be put to death, state press reported Wednesday.   

Li Bin, 41, the self-proclaimed "King of Shanghai's underworld" was executed Tuesday after the Supreme Court, which reviews all death sentences, issued the order, the Shanghai Daily said.   

Li was found guilty in October 2006 of heading a criminal gang that trafficked in drugs, was involved in organized gambling and illegally possessed firearms and other weapons, the newspaper said.   

His appeal against the sentence was rejected by Shanghai's top court earlier this year, the report said.   

His wife, Yao Yinmei, and 18 other members of his gang were handed prison terms ranging from life to 15 years.   

Li was a career criminal who had been in and out of prison since the age of 17, the paper said.   

Following his release from jail in 2001, Li established a drug trafficking network and operated a gambling business and drug den out of an entertainment centre in Shanghai's district of Baoshan, the paper said.   

In a separate case, Zhou Liji, who had served time for fraud and larceny, was executed for drug trafficking, the paper said.   

Although the government does not release figures on the subject, international rights groups say China executes more people each year than the rest of the world combined.