A former village head in Longchang county, Sichuan province, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for causing intentional injury and organizing gang-related crimes, Chengdu Business Daily reported on Monday.
The former official was also fined 3.5 million yuan ($561, 750), the report said.
Eight other defendants were sentenced for illegal detention, participating in the gang and intentional injury, the report said.
In June 2010, the local government asked Lin Zongkui, head of Gongnong village, to persuade a couple to stop inciting protest against a garbage dump, the report said.
Instead, Lin got villagers to surround the dump and even asked them to encircle the county government building on July 24, 2010, the court found.
Lin distorted the government's idea of establishing the garbage dump and privately stirred up the villagers, the court found.
Lin also had been involved in making high-interest illegal loans and extortion since 1996, the report said, adding he had also established an organization to commit gang crimes.
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