BEIJING - A WOMAN called the 'godmother' of a mafia-style gang in China's southern city of Chongqing was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday for running underground casinos and bribing government officials.

The trial of Xie Caiping is part of a months-long crackdown in the city that has exposed widespread government and police involvement in providing cover to numerous local gangs. It has also riveted China's state-controlled media with tales of a violent underworld.

Twenty-one others were sentenced to between one and 13 years in prison, according to a notice on the Chongqing court website.

The crackdown in Chongqing has been extensive, netting more than 1,544 suspects - gangsters, prominent businessmen and 14 high-ranking officials. Six gang members in the city have already been sentenced to death for crimes including murder and blackmail, the first among hundreds expected to go on trial.

Xie, 46, is the sister-in-law of the city's long-serving deputy police chief, who was detained for investigation by the ruling Communist Party in August. He is regarded as being the centre of an extensive network of protection of local gangs for over a decade.

She cursed in court when her trial started, which drew a rebuke from the judge but delighted the public, which has revelled in tales in the local media that she kept 16 lovers. -- AP