More than 410 people from a dozen gangs involved in the production and trafficking of firearms in Guangdong province have been arrested by police, the provincial public security department announced on Thursday.

The bust was part of a special operation to crack down on a group of gun smugglers using online and express delivery networks. Police said they also seized various firearms, ammunition and accessories.

At the start of theyear, police in Zhuhai, Foshan and Dongguan identified suspects selling powder guns, air guns and controlled knives through social networking sites based on evidence uncovered in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

After months of investigation, police then uncovered a criminal network spanning more than 20 provinces, involving the manufacture and sale of guns through a sophisticated organized system.

According to Chinese gun control laws, owning, manufacturing, selling, transporting and renting guns are all forbidden.

The Ministry of Public Security initiated a national special operation to crack down on gun-related crimes in July.

A series of firearms trafficking cases across Guangzhou province had also been cracked in recent months. Social media and express mail networks had been the main delivery way for suspects to sell the illegal guns.

In February, the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau had seized a criminal group which used mobile social networks to sell the vulture-imitated air gun trafficking. Police arrested two suspects,Liu and Sun, in late April, with capturing three vulture-imitated air guns and 1,000 pellets.

Local Foshan police found a man in the area who sold powder shotguns, air guns and controlled knives through Wechat in May. After a sophisticated investigation, a network of gun-related crimes had been identified. More than 50 suspected criminals had been arrested with seizing more than60 guns. The case is currently under investigation.

In late April, the Guangzhou Custom Office seized a gun-shaped package from Hong Kong to Dongguan. Later, the clue had been reported to Dongguan Public Security. More than 50 criminals, over 20 powder guns and 840 gunpowder bullets were seized, and a criminal network over the nation had been cracked.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, cybercrimes have been used more frequently for illegal transactions in recent years. More than 9,000 gun cases nationwide had been handled, with 80,000 suspects arrested from 2011 to 2015.

Xin Wen contributed to this story.