Brazil ? Brazilian police Thursday broke up a gang accused of killing hundreds of people over several years, arresting 18 suspects and searching for 10 others, officials said.

Made up of police officers, hired guns and businessmen, the gang charged $500 to $2,500 for each contract killing, said Jorge Pontes, federal police superintendent in northeastern Recife city.

He said the gang carried out up to 200 killings a year in the past five years, most of them linked to loan sharking.

The ring also was involved in drug and gun trafficking, he said.

Federal police said the gang’s two leaders, various people involved in handling the gang’s finances and several police were among those arrested or wanted. The police in the death squad acted mainly to remove evidence from crime scenes, police said.