China executed at least 18 people in the run-up to...

China executed at least 18 people in the run-up to National Day, including five members of the same family and the notorious leader of a massive prostitution ring, state media reported.
Jiang Shiyin, the head of large drug gang, was executed along with four of his cousins on September 29, in the south-western province of Sichuan, the sina.com website reported.
Jiang reportedly attracted his cousins into the drug business by convincing them there was no faster way of making money.
One day earlier, 13 people were put to death in Shiyan city, central Hubei province, the China News Service said on its website. Among the executed was Li Mingde, the ring-leader of a prostitution ring that "rented" poor women from the countryside to roadside restaurants and bars to work as prostitutes.
After police cracked the case in 2001, they found 300 women, between the ages of 12 to 17, who were under the control of the crime gang.
China usually executes large number of criminals ahead of national holidays, like the week-long National Day holiday which was due to commence on October 1.