"Godmother of the underworld" gets 18 years

Organized crime boss Xie Caiping, nicknamed the "Godmother of the underworld," has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.

Xie, was sentenced Tuesday, after being convicted of organizing and leading a criminal organization, running gambling dens, illegal imprisonment, harboring people taking illegal narcotics and bribing officials. She was also fined more than one million yuan.

Xie Caiping was the sister-in-law of Wen Qiang, formerly the second-in-command of the Chongqing police and the head of the Justice Bureau. Wen will be prosecuted in November in connection with the offenses, including rape, money laundering, concealing the proceeds of crime, and illegal possession of firearms.

Another 21 people, including officials and police officers who provided protection to the gang members, were given jail terms ranging from one to 13 years.

Chongqing began a gang crackdown in June, exposing deep ties with law enforcement and the criminal underworld. Warrants were issued for the arrest of at least 800 people, and nearly 330 people have been prosecuted so far.