Police have busted a criminal network of more than 410 people from a dozen gangs involved in the production and trafficking of firearms in Guangdong province, 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 also seized various kinds of firearms, ammunition and accessories.

At the start of this year, 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 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 this year.

Xin Wen contributed to this story.