A cache of guns seized by police. [Photo/chinanews.com]

An illegal gun trafficking network has been smashed by police who seized 1,612 firearms and 5,378 imitation weapons, China News Service reports.

A total of 84 suspects were arrested across China in Yunnan, Guizhou, Henan and Guangdong provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The operation, by railway police in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province, lasted 112 days.

According to China's law, it is illegal to poss or trade guns without authorized permission and offenders face life prison sentences as the severest punishment.