In 2023, the Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court in Sichuan province sentenced real estate developer Zeng Jianbin to 20 years in prison. The court designated Zeng as a 'gang leader,' convicting him of nine separate offenses, including illegal lending, intentional property destruction, and 'provoking trouble.' The severity of the sentence was attributed by the court to the organized nature of the criminal activities.

As Zeng moves through the appeals process, the case has drawn attention to the broader implications of China’s national crackdown on organized crime. Legal professionals are expressing concern that the legal framework used to define and prosecute 'gangs' is overly broad. Critics argue that this ambiguity allows authorities to categorize standard business disputes or civil infractions as organized criminal activity, potentially resulting in wrongful convictions. While the state maintains that these crackdowns are necessary to ensure public safety and social order, defense lawyers suggest that the current judicial approach risks criminalizing legitimate commercial operations under the guise of anti-gang enforcement.