Fugitives’ faces featured on deck of playing cards

The public security bureau in South China’s Hainan Province printed the faces of 54 fugitive members of a notorious organized crime family on a deck of playing cards on Wednesday.

The fugitives belong to the 179-member organized crime syndicate run by the Huang Hongfa family which has been accused of committing murders, illegal mining and extortion for 20 years.

In a raid on January 6, Hainan police arrested 132 suspects including the leader Huang Hongfa and some of his family members. Hainan Daily reported that the initial estimated value of the property seized was more than 1.5 billion yuan ($223 million).

Each card in the deck of cards shows the picture and other personal details of the 54 suspected gang members who have yet to be arrested, including their census registration information and identity card number.

Authorities are urging them to turn themselves in, Beijing Daily reported.

Police says the gang was highly organized with procedures for recruiting and enrolling new members. Members received a number of benefits such as housing and training. Even their social security fees were paid on their behalf.

The Huang Hongfa crime family had mainly operated in Hainan’s Changjiang Li Autonomous County since the end of the 1980s, Hainan Daily reported. It has accumulated wealth through illegal means giving the family economic clout.

Many netizens showed their hatred to the criminals and their admiration for the police officers who spent such a long time to beat such a big gang and bring them to justice.