Xu Caihou, the most senior military officer snared in China’s anti-corruption campaign, has died of natural causes after military prosecutors dropped their case against him due to ill health.

Xinhua, the state news agency, said late Sunday night that Gen Xu had died in hospital of bladder cancer. Gen Xu, a former vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, was one of the biggest of the “tigers and flies” targeted by President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign, and his capture last year was one of the most dramatic.

When investigators searched the home of the retired general, they found so much cash and precious gems that they needed a week to count it all and 12 trucks to haul it away. Xinhua said his “illegal gains” would be dealt with in accordance with the law, giving no further details.