Six people convicted of organizing a local mafia were...

Six people convicted of organizing a local mafia were executed in central China's Xuchang city, Henan province as part of an ongoing campaign aimed at cracking down on organized crime, state press reported. Liang Shengli was executed with a bullet to the back of his head after being convicted of running rackets in Xuchang city from 1988 until his arrest in October 2000, the Dahe Daily reported. "Using legal economic enterprises with illegal methods as a safeguard, (Liang and his gang) interfered in construction projects, monopolized the cloth market and made illegal profits," the report said. "After building up economic strength, the gang began recruiting corrupt judicial officials to build up illegal protection, buying a lot of guns, beating people, using extortion, provoking trouble and coercing trade." Liang, 40, and his gang were convicted in December 2001 by the Xuchang intermediate court, but appealed the convictions, it said. Also executed were Zhang Hongtao, Qi Shijie, Zhao Jiemin, Cong Zhifeng and Xie Junfeng, the report said.