June 21, 2010 - Cqnews.net - The Chongqing police ordered the Hilton Chongqing hotel to suspend its operations on Sunday because of gang involvement and prostitution, according to Cqnews.net.

The police seized 102 suspects in the hotel on Saturday night and detained 22 after an initial investigation. 

The police uncovered an all-in-one service for prostitution involving hotel managers, security personnel, porters, receptionists, and entertainers. In addition, hotel employees were under suspicion of drug-related crimes.

It was reported that the shareholders and managers of the hotel had been maintaining a long-term relationship with local gang rings despite a crackdown on gangsters in Chongqing. The hotel has been investigated twice by the police since last November because management was suspected of illegal activities. But hotel managers continued to ignore warnings from the local public security bureau and flouted laws for foreign-oriented hotels that operate in China. 

The Hilton Chongqing opened in 2002 and is operated and managed by Hilton Hotel, although its actual investor is Kingrun Real Estate, a local enterprise.

The report said some officials from the public security bureau were involved in the hotel's illegal activities by acting as a protective umbrella for the crimes.

Bureau officials said they would resolutely investigate and prosecute the case. Related cases are under further investigation.

After Chongqing officials launched a crackdown on gangs and prostitution last year, other major Chinese cities did the same.

The Beijing police have raided thousands of entertainment venues, closed down 35 of them and detained 1,132 people since this May, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Following Beijing's campaign, police in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, closed three luxurious nightclubs in the city in early June, according to the Nanjing-based "Modern Express." 

Meanwhile, police in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, stormed Gege KTV, a prominent nightclub in the city. A total of 600 people were taken away, and five were detained on suspicion of drug-related activities, according to local police.