Organised crime in Hong Kong

The name most associated with organised crime within Hong Kong (known in Cantonese as 黑社會 lit. 'black society'), is the many branches of Chinese underground society and organisations known as the Triads. Triad gang activities are mainly territorial and commonly involve the following types of offences:

  • Extortion and protection racketeering of shops, small business, hawkers, construction sites, car valet services, and places of public entertainment such as bars, billiard halls etc.;
  • Monopolising control of non-franchised public transport routes;
  • Monopolising control of decoration companies operating in newly built public housing estates;
  • Street-level dangerous drug trafficking;
  • Illegal gambling, and prostitution and pornography.

Kowloon Walled City - Hong Kong (1991)

Although one of the most famous criminal organisations in the region, the Triads are not the only source of organised crime in Hong Kong.

Smuggling (both goods and people), counterfeit goods, corruption and prostitution syndicates are all the result of organised groups operating in the territory. Generally organised crime groups in Hong Kong keep a low profile and many of its most profitable activities do not attract high levels of public outrage e.g. illegal gambling and copyright piracy.

As organised crime does not necessarily equate with street crime, it has been said that Hong Kong society can be lulled into a false sense of security. Without high levels of street crime and no great numbers of Mafia-style organised crime syndicates, it has been suggested that the people of Hong Kong, believe that their society is, in law and order terms, healthy and clean, although this may not be the case.

Triads

One of the world's largest triads, Sun Yee On, was founded in Hong Kong in 1919, and has 55,000 members worldwide.[1] Sun Yee On's rival organisation, 14K Triad, was formed in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China in 1945, and relocated to Hong Kong in 1949.

Arrests

In August 2013, the Hong Kong Police Force arrested 1,800 people in a crackdown against triads, in an undercover operation entitled Thunderbolt 13. They were charged with various offences.[2]

See also

References
  1. Shanty, Frank; Mishra, Patit Paban Organized crime: from trafficking to terrorism, pg xvi, Volume 2. ISBN 1576073378 ABC-CLIO (24 September 2007)
  2. Hong Kong police smash crime ring, BBC News

Additional Sources
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