First Trials Begin in Crackdown on China's 'Mafia'

China has been transfixed by news of the country's first big mafia trials. Protected by corrupt officials, gangs involved in gambling, loan-sharking, drugs and prostitution operated freely in the city of Chongqing, reaping billions in illegal profits. A government crackdown launched a few months ago has so far produced nearly 1,500 arrests. The first defendants went on trial a little over a week ...