BEIJING - Police have busted a violent criminal gang after investigating a serious criminal offense committed on June 1 in the North China city of Cangzhou.

A coordinated manhunt involving police from various Chinese provinces and Vietnam apprehended all 20 members of the crime ring, including a fugitive leader who had fled to Vietnam, and recovered a shotgun used by the gang, said an official statement Thursday.

Investigations into the "serious crime" in Cangzhou, Hebei province, found that a citizen of Langfang, Hebei, surnamed Meng, and three others were major suspects in the case, said the statement. The statement did not offer specific details on the crimes committed by the gang.

After being on the loose for months, Meng, the leader of the gang, was found in a hotel in a Vietnamese city bordering southwest China's Yunnan Province. He was extradited to China on October 13.

The statement described Meng as a criminal who is "very dangerous" and "very likely to commit more crimes."

Issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the statement vowed to maintain high intensity in fighting crime, thus safeguarding national safety and social stability and greeting the 18th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China, scheduled to open next month.