GUANGZHOU - Guangdong crime investigators have caught 12 officials for illegal activities related to bribery, fakery and market monopoly, the provincial government said Monday.

The officials were linked to 34 cases of alleged commercial bribery that investigators have uncovered since a special campaign started less than three weeks ago, the government said.

Another 111 cases of illegal market monopolies and 1,551 cases of counterfeiting were also investigated.

Guangdong launched the campaign on February 9 to crack down on crimes which "disrupt market order and are most despised by the people," including rampant counterfeiting of food and drug products, market bullies and frequent cases of business people bribing government officials.

Zhang Qinghong, an official with the special taskforce, said the campaign is aimed at restoring market credibility and installing an effective supervisory system by 2015.

Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, is the manufacturing hub of China and hosts numerous factories and workshops which have been the backbone of the country's exports.