Triads in the United Kingdom

Last updated

Triads in the United Kingdom first appeared during the post-World War era with the 14K Triad emerging in Chinese communities in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in England and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee in Scotland as early as 1952. A later migration followed as members of Chung Mon's organization fled Amsterdam following the Triad leader's death in 1975 as well as those from Hong Kong during the 1980s.

Contents

Early years of Triad activity

Although illegal gambling dens, brothels, opium dens and mahjong schools developed in the 19th century in Chinese communities[ citation needed ], it is uncertain when the triads and tongs first came over to the UK. The first police were underpaid, underresourced and overstretched, hence they could not afford to focus on understanding and detecting organised crime.

Drug trafficking and cooperation with the United States

It is unclear which Triad was responsible for first importing heroin into the UK; however, authorities believe it was originally transported from Hong Kong via Amsterdam by the Ng Sik-ho,[ citation needed ] and received by either the 14k or the recently arrived Wo Shing Wo.[ citation needed ]

Although warned by officials from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Bureau (later known as the Drug Enforcement Administration) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the U.S. Embassy in London;[ citation needed ] British officials were unprepared to deal with the growing narcotics problem. With the United States becoming aware of the large amounts of heroin being smuggled via the UK, British officials were assisted by a resident officer attached to the U.S. Embassy who was assigned to gather intelligence on drug traffickers and identify couriers before eventually infiltrating their organisation.[ citation needed ] The resident officer ran into difficulties while working with British officials regarding his methods, which contrasted sharply with British policy.[ citation needed ] This included his use of a slush fund paid to informants to purchase drugs,[ citation needed ] whereas British criminal informants are not paid except for expenses.

With the corruption within the Hong Kong police force curtailed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, many of the city's triads turned to the UK where a narcotics task force was non-existent and their existence was largely unknown by British officials.[ citation needed ]

Arrival of the Wo On Lok and the Sun Yee On

During the 1980s, the power of the Chinese underworld was constantly shifting from one Triad to another in an attempt to control Britain's drug trafficking trade. Triads soon began expanding into other criminal activities including VAT fraud using innocent loanshark and extortion victims to provide a front business. The Triads also began to turn away from heroin; instead turning to less serious drugs such as cannabis and designer drugs which were smuggled by Triad couriers from The Netherlands and Germany as they competed with rival European competitors.

Following the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration between the UK and China in 1984, the news of Hong Kong's return to China caused many Triads to flee to Britain, specifically the Wo On Lok and the Sun Yee On.

These newer Triads were far more organized and professional and, as many of its members were respected and prominent Hong Kong businessmen, they were easily able to use their legitimate businesses as fronts for tax evasion and money laundering. The Wo On Lok soon established themselves in Wales, London and Southampton in England and, maintaining links to similarly exiled groups in Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Germany, they engaged in smaller crime such as illegal gambling, counterfeiting, and selling illegally copied videos, although they also continued extortion activities on Chinese residents.

Government prosecution

British authorities finally began to crack down on Triad activity during the early 1990s and, although law enforcement had been battling the Triads for some time, their first insight on the Triad structure and influence in British society came during the 1993 trial of George Cheung Wai-hen, an assassin for the Wo On Lok turned government informant, who testified at the Old Bailey against six Chinese immigrants who were charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to rival Triad member Lam Ying-kit after a failed attempt on his life on 7 September 1991.

According to testimony by Cheung, he also described his induction ceremony into the Wo On Lok which followed traditional Triad initiation taking place at around 2 am in the basement of the Princess Garden Chinese Restaurant in Greyhound Road, Fulham. During the ceremony he claimed to have paid his sponsor and dai lo, actor Tang Wai-ming, an initiation fee of £36.60 to operate in the UK. As a result of his testimony, Cheung was given a reduced sentence of five years imprisonment.

Triads active in the United Kingdom

Wo Shing Wo

The Wo Shing Wo is considered by authorities to be the largest Triad operating in Britain. Although largely based in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London, it also has affiliated groups in Bristol, Newcastle, Stoke-on-Trent and Cardiff.

In the 90s, Wong Kwun-seng (the chairman), Kenny Ng Siu-hong (the deputy) and Andrew Lam Ngai-kan (the captain), were believed to lead hundreds of Wo Shing Wo members in the London area.

Although members are recruited in the traditional manner, they also include prominent businessmen who either ally with the organization for their own protection or as full associate participants in their criminal activities. Although they abide by the territorial urban districts of other Triad organizations, often centred around a Chinese cultural club or martial arts associations, they have been involved in extortion activities over areas as far afield as Truro and Great Yarmouth.[ citation needed ]

14K Triad

Despite its declining power since its first appearance in the early 1950s, the 14k Triad, led by ‘Ponytail’ remains the oldest and well established in the underworld as the second largest Triad organization operating in the UK[ citation needed ]. Based primarily in London and Liverpool, the 14k continues its traditional activities of loan sharking and extortion of Chinese businesses although they have also had a history of targeting other immigrant groups such as Indian and Pakistani running corner shops and small factories (however, West Indians have been more likely to report incidents of harassment and intimidation than their Asian counterparts). Much of the Triad's membership is made up of teenagers or illegal Chinese immigrants[ citation needed ] and there are now confirmed reports of non-Chinese and female members as well[ citation needed ].

Sun Yee On

The Sun Yee On, led by chairman ‘Uncle Po’, is an influential Triad organization which, like its Hong Kong affiliates, is a highly organized criminal syndicate involved in white-collar crime as well as owning legitimate businesses[ citation needed ], specifically in the entertainment industry[ citation needed ] a key red pole ‘Teflon’ Dyl, ‘Serpent’ and ‘Vibora’ are presumed to be British. Incense master ‘Daiki’ is also presumed to reside in the UK area of Sun Yee On. [ citation needed ]. This branch of the Sun Yee On is run by a man known only as ‘Gideon’. Based primarily in London and Liverpool, the Sun Yee on are a major Hong Kong triad operating worldwide.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Sun Yee On, or the New Righteousness and Peace Commercial and Industrial Guild, is one of the leading triads in Hong Kong and China. It has more than 25,000 members worldwide. It is also believed to be active in the UK, the United States, France and Belgium.

Wo Shing Wo or WSW is the oldest of the Wo Group triad societies, and is the triad with the longest history in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong police, the triad is involved in extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution.

Tai Huen Chai (大圈仔), Big Circle Boys; For centuries, emperors and warring factions aligned themselves with the various triad groups. The British tried to expel, imprison or kill many triad members during their reign of Hong Kong. In the early 1970s, a new player, the Big Circle Boys emerged. They were given the moniker (大圈仔). The Big Circle Boys originated in China’s paramilitary Red Guards, and after clashing with China’s army in the late 1960s, members were sent to prison in southern China. But some gang members escaped and infiltrated Hong Kong, where they “turned their military prowess to crime,” according to Canadian court records. The gang now thrives among the unregulated factories and underground banks of Guangdong, and especially in the city Guangzhou, also known as Canton, and nicknamed the “Big Circle” after a drawing on a map indicating in which part of China they operated.

<i>Election</i> (2005 film) 2005 Hong Kong film

Election, is a 2005 Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film stars Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai as two gang leaders engaged in a power struggle to become the new leader of a Hong Kong triad.

Shui Fong, also known as the Wo On Lok (WOL), is one of the main Triad groups in Southern China, operating especially in Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese communities abroad.

Wo Hop To, or WHT (和合圖), is a triad group based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The name translates to "Harmoniously United Association", or "Harmonious Union Plan", and is thought to have been founded in 1908 in Sai Ying Pun as a secret political organisation in opposition to the Qing dynasty. They are one of the Four Major Gangs (四大黑幫) of Hong Kong, the others being Wo Shing Wo, 14K and Sun Yee On.

<i>Election 2</i> 2006 Hong Kong film

Election 2, also known as Triad Election in the United States, is a 2006 Category III Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To with a large ensemble cast that includes Louis Koo, Simon Yam and Nick Cheung. A sequel to the 2005 film Election, the film concludes the events of the first film centring on Lok (Yam), who this time struggles to keep his title as triad boss as a triad re-election draws near, while Jimmy (Koo) attempts to retire as a triad to become a legitimate businessman.

The Flying Dragons, also known as FDS, is a Chinese American street gang that was prominent in New York City's Chinatown from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Formed in 1967, by immigrants primarily from Hong Kong, they are affiliated with the Hip Sing Tong. Throughout the 1980s, the gang often engaged in bloody turf wars with the newer Ghost Shadows gang. Their activities have included extortion, kidnapping, murder, racketeering and illegal gambling. The gang moved heavily into heroin trafficking after the Italian-American Mafia lost the trade as a result of the Pizza Connection prosecutions in the mid-1980s.

Organised crime in Hong Kong Prevalent criminal organizations and activities in Hong Kong

The name most associated with organised crime within Hong Kong, 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:

The 14K (十四K) is a triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest triad.

<i>Sword Stained with Royal Blood</i> (1985 TV series)

Sword Stained with Royal Blood is a wuxia Hong Kong television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel of the same title. It was first broadcast on TVB in Hong Kong in 1985. It has a total of 20 episodes.

Ah Kong was an organised crime and drugs syndicate and used to control the European heroin trade in the 1970s to 1990s. It was one of the world's largest drug syndicates with its origin from Singapore but was based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Bangkok, Thailand where they received their drug supplies. The production of heroin was at an area known as the Golden Triangle formed by Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Ah Kong was not a triad but a fearsome organized crime gang that was renowned all over Asia and Europe.

<i>Little Cop</i> 1989 Hong Kong film

Little Cop is a 1989 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Eric Tsang, starring Tsang and Natalis Chan. The film also features cameo appearances from many Hong Kong celebrities such as Andy Lau, Max Mok, Alan Tam, Anthony Chan, Cheung Kwok-keung, Jacky Cheung and Maggie Cheung.

Triad (organized crime) Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate

A triad is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China and has outposts in various countries with significant overseas Chinese populations.

Crime in Hong Kong

Crime in Hong Kong is generally low but is still present in various forms. The most common crimes are thefts, assaults, vandalism, burglaries, drug offenses, sex trafficking, and triad-related crimes. In 2015, Hong Kong had one of the lowest murder rates in the world, comparable to Japan but higher than Macao or Singapore.

<i>My Hero</i> (1990 film) 1990 Hong Kong film

My Hero is a 1990 Hong Kong crime action comedy film directed by Bryan Leung, who also served as action director and acts in a supporting role in the film. The film stars Stephen Chow, Ann Bridgewater and Wilson Lam.

<i>Triads: The Inside Story</i> 1989 Hong Kong film

Triads: The Inside Story is a 1989 Hong Kong crime drama film directed by Taylor Wong and starring Chow Yun-fat and Roy Cheung.

Sam Gor, also known as The Company, is an international crime syndicate, based in Asia-Pacific. The organization is made up of members of five different triads: 14K, Bamboo Union, Big Circle Boys, Sun Yee On and Wo Shing Wo. Sam Gor is understood to be headed by Chinese–Canadian Tse Chi Lop, who was arrested in January 2021 in the Netherlands. The Cantonese Chinese syndicate is primarily involved in drug trafficking, earning at least $8 billion per year. "Sam Gor is alleged to control between 40 and 70% of the Asia-Pacific methamphetamine market, while also trafficking heroin, ketamine and synthetic drugs, and precursor chemicals. The group is active or working with organized crime partners in a variety of countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and Vietnam." Sam Gor previously produced meth in Southern China and is now believed to manufacture mainly in the Golden Triangle, specifically Shan State, Myanmar, responsible for much of the massive surge of crystal meth in recent years.

References

Further reading