BEIJING - Chinese police have detained more than 5,100 suspects in a nationwide crackdown on online prostitution, gambling and arms deals, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on Wednesday.

The MPS said police across the nation have cracked about 1,980 cases and broken up over 120 gangs since the campaign was launched in March.

Illegal activities include cross-border gambling websites run by overseas casinos, organized prostitution through instant messaging services, and selling guns and explosives online.

Among the cases, three online gambling gangs based in Hebei, Jiangxi and Hainan were busted, with more than 140 suspects captured. Their activities involved funds totaling 50 million yuan (817,000 US dollars).

The MPS vowed to continue combatting such activities by cutting the settlement network for capital transfer and paralyzing hosting for illegal websites.