SHIJIAZHUANG, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in north China's Hebei Province have caught 221 suspects, seized 303 guns and more than 30,000 bullets in a crackdown on illegal online gun trade, the provincial public security department announced on Wednesday.

Most of the guns were turned from nail guns, according to the police.

In October 2018, police in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei, solved a case involving two guns and traced them to a gun dealer surnamed Xu.

Investigations showed that the online gun-selling ring has been operating through several provinces around the country.

In January this year, with the coordination of the Ministry of Public Security, Hebei sent more than 600 police officers to various parts of the country for further investigation.

They investigated more than 1,563 suspects and arrested 221 of them in 20 days.

Possession of guns by private individuals is illegal in China. The country has long maintained high pressure on guns and explosive-related crimes.