XIAMEN, Fujian Province - Alleged smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing has been prosecuted for smuggling and bribery, the People's Procuratorate of Xiamen said here Monday.

The municipal court of Xiamen has taken on the case, said the statement.

Lai, 53, the chief suspect in a multibillion-U.S.-dollar smuggling operation that dates back to the 1990s in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast Fujian Province, fled to Canada 12 years ago.

After he was repatriated to China on July 23, 2011, he was arrested and investigated for smuggling and bribery.

The investigation concluded in late December and he was handed over for prosecution, according to the statement.

After going through all the evidence and interrogating Lai, prosecutors confirmed that the facts are clear and the evidence is solid, the statement said.

They have decided to charge Lai with masterminding a criminal ring engaged in smuggling and bribery, the statement said.