Wen Qiang, former deputy policechief of southwest Chinas ChongqingMunicipality, wassentenced to deathon April 14 after beingfound guilty of protectingfive organized gangs,accepting bribes of morethan 12 million yuan($1.76 million), rape and propertyscams. Wen, 55, is the most senioroffi cial convicted in the gang-crushingoperation in Chongqing that beganlast June, which has netted as many as3,000 suspected gangsters.