The Early Morning Post reports (by Feng Lu, Chen Xingwen, reporter Yang Qin, and intern Yang Yinkang) that the Yixuelin criminal gang from Wenjiang was involved in illegal sand mining, running casinos, and forcing transactions. They forcibly monopolized the sand supply in the nearby town of Shou'an in Chengdu, amassing wealth in the millions through criminal activities. After being legally tried by the Intermediate People's Court of Chengdu, defendant Yi Xuelin was sentenced to 20 years in prison for organizing and leading a mafia-style organization, as well as for illegally holding firearms and ammunition, illegal mining, forced transactions, operating a casino, intentional injury, and provoking troubles. He was also deprived of political rights for five years and fined 3 million yuan.
Other eight defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 14 years and six months to three years for participating in a mafia-style organization and other related crimes.
Gathering Key Members
Yi Xuelin, nicknamed "Yi Xuegou" and "Yi Dan Da," since 2004, has been gathering illegal wealth by organizing people and machinery to long-term illegally mine sand from a river segment near the suburbs. During this time, he gathered Su Jianguo, Dai Guo, and other eight defendants, along with five other individuals (all at large), who are ex-convicts and idle social members, by allowing them to transport sand on his construction sites for profit, distributing wages, and providing economic support. Gradually, they formed a clear hierarchical structure, with Yi Xuelin as the leader, Su Jianguo and four others as key members, and nearly ten others including Xie Zhihui as organization members, forming a mafia-like group.
Dominating Locally
Yi Xuelin clearly divided tasks among the key members of the organization and commanded and constrained subordinate members through these key members. They repeatedly carried out organized illegal mining, forced transactions, and casino operations to gain illegal profits, thus forming an illegal control over the sand supply in the local construction industry. To expand the organization's power and dominate locally, he instructed his organization's members to use violent and threatening means such as carrying guns, committing a series of intentional injuries and provoking troubles. These actions amassed several million yuan in illegal income, causing serious negative social impact locally and severely disrupting the local economic order and social life.
Arrests
From November last year to March this year, the public security authorities successively arrested Yi Xuelin and the other nine defendants in Chengdu.
The court ruled that the main criminal facts and charges against the nine defendants, including Yi Xuelin, brought by the Chengdu People's Procuratorate were established. As the organizer and leader of the mafia-like organization, Yi Xuelin should be punished according to all the crimes committed by the mafia-like organization he organized and led. The other eight defendants should be punished for participating in a mafia-like organization and their respective verified related crimes.