Beijing, May 5 (IANS) The authorities in China have busted a gang which was manufacturing and selling gutter oil the last few years. It earned over 10 million yuan (over $1.5 million) in 2011 alone.

According to a legal official, the 20-member criminal gang which made profit by manufacturing and selling gutter oil has been busted in Zhejiang province, Xinhua reported.

The gang members were arrested after police showed how the gang, led by Li Weijian and his wife Xu Xiaoqing, had been using kitchen waste and discarded animal fat to illegally produce and sell cooking oil since 2005.

They would sell the oil to cooking oil wholesellers and food processing plants in Shanghai, Chongqing and Jiangsu provinces.

In April, the Ministry of Public Security said that it has stepped up a crackdown on underground workshops that produce gutter oil.