14K - Blog 2.0 - Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org
2024-03-29T13:23:23Z
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Famous movie star and respected gangster - Profile of 14K Triad boss Michael Chan
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/famous-movie-star-and-respected-gangster-profile-of-14k-triad-bos
2021-04-27T06:00:00.000Z
2021-04-27T06:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/famous-movie-star-and-respected-gangster-profile-of-14k-triad-bos" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237153892,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237153892?profile=original" /></a>By "Asian Gangsters" for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Most people know the Chinese Triads as super secret societies that are shrouded in mystery. Despite the tradition of secrecy, some Triad members are celebrities. One of these men is legendary Hong Kong actor Michael Chan. He was not only an amazing actor but a respected gangster as well. Some of Chan’s leading roles are forever classics in the history of Hong Kong film. He had a long career on the streets and on the big screen, and he is one of the men we think of when we think about the dark side of Hong Kong cinema.</p>
<p>Michael Chan was born Chan Wai-man (陳惠敏) in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Guangdong" target="_blank">Guangdong</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=China" target="_blank">China</a> in 1943. His family relocated to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=HongKong" target="_blank">Hong Kong</a> when Michael was a young boy. He grew up in a Hakka village in Tsuen Wan, which is located in the New Territories region of Hong Kong. The family was lower class, and he was forced to become a man at an early age. By the time Michael was 12 he was working in a spinning mill to support the family. Around the same time, he was hustling on the streets and joined a local youth gang. Joining a street gang as a young kid was a normal part of life in Hong Kong in this era. Chan was also training in martial arts, which would eventually shape his criminal and film career.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>From law enforcement to the 14K Triad</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237154652,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237154652?profile=original" /></a></strong></span><strong><em>Photo: Chan during his acting days, showing his Triad tattoos.</em></strong></p>
<p>When Chan was 17 he became a correction officer in a Hong Kong prison, so he could see the other side of the law. By 19 years old he was promoted to a street officer with the anti-drug unit in Hong Kong. In the prison and on the streets, Chan made many underworld connections, and he became closely associated with the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a>. His relationship with the Triads eventually got him kicked out of the police force. This is when he decided to become an official member of one of the largest Triad groups, the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=14K" target="_blank">14K</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: Asia’s Most Wanted Drug Lord - Profile of Triad boss</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/asia-s-most-wanted-drug-lord-profile-of-triad-boss-tse-chi-lop-ni" target="_blank"><strong>Tse Chi Lop, nicknamed “Brother Number Three”</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>When Chan first joined the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triad</a>, he became heavily involved in the drug trade and night club scene in Tsim Sha Tsui. Chan described the 60s and 70s in Hong Kong as a wild time for partying with a booming night scene. Chan and his crew took full advantage of the newfound decadence. Chan claims he ran the entire Tsim Sha Tsui area and had almost all the businesses in the area paying him extortion money. He eventually became a “red stick” in the 14K, which is a high ranking title given to trained fighters who run the enforcing part of the gang. It was said that Chan once had at least 500 loyal men at his command.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Behind every strong man is a strong woman</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237154495,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237154495?profile=original" /></a>At age 25, Chan met a teenage girl named Wu Guoying (right, next to Chan). Wu helped out his criminal career by collecting extortion money. She also took the blame for Chan in a gun case and ended up serving 2 years in prison for her man. Chan also was involved in an affair with a Japanese actress that he met on set. Despite his disloyalty, Wu remained by his side, and the two would remain lifelong partners.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Fighting</strong></span></p>
<p>Chan eventually put his fighting ability to legitimate use and he got into professional martial arts in the late 60s. Chan won many fighting competitions in the 70s and 80s, including two <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Kickboxing" target="_blank">kickboxing</a> championships and a few boxing matches. In 1983, at 39 years old, he participated in the "World Elite Fighting Competition" and took only 35 seconds to knock down Japanese boxer Tsuyoshi Mirosaki, which was aired on live tv.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237155075,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237155075?profile=original" /></a>Fame</strong></span></p>
<p>In the early 70s, Chan (photo right, Chan on far left with famous actor Jackie Chan on far right) pursued a career in film and has had a long successful acting career. Being inspired by another gangster actor Jimmy Wang Yu, Chan felt he could do the same. Chan’s acting resume is filled with movies of multiple genres, but action pictures were definitely his specialty. Most of Chan’s acting roles he portrayed a gangster, street fighter or professional martial artist. He has a long discography and some of his famous films are Broken Oath, Gangland Odyssey & Bloody Brotherhood.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triads-and-their-lucrative-movie-industry" target="_blank"><strong>Hong Kong Triads and 'their' lucrative movie industry</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Chan worked with the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest production companies, which were known for their triad connections. Although these companies were known for trapping artists in contracts, Michael Chan’s respect in the underworld allowed him freedom in the industry. He formed close relationships with famous men such as Bruce Lee, Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan. Bruce Lee’s relationship to Michael Chan and other gangsters led many people to question the official story of Bruce Lee’s death. In a recent interview, Chan claimed that Bruce Lee was a perfect fighter and no gangster would dare touch him.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237155088,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237155088?profile=original" /></a><strong><em>Photo: Chan and Bruce Lee</em></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Retired?</strong></span></p>
<p>Chan recently has claimed that he is retired from crime but he was arrested in 2013 for attending a Wo Shing Wo (和勝和) Triad meeting. He was arrested again in 2018 for attending a Triad meeting in Cambodia. That same year Chan attended a ceremony marking the establishment of the World Hongmen History and Culture Association headquarters, alongside former 14K boss <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka" target="_blank">Wan Kuok-koi</a> aka "Broken Tooth". Despite his involvement, in a recent interview Chan said that the triads have mostly lost their honor and patriotism, which is something many gangsters of all nationalities say about the modern world. This may be a contributing factor to his supposed retirement.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-origins-of-the-chinese-mafia" target="_blank"><strong>Triads: Origins of the Chinese Mafia</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>In his late 70s, Chan is still involved in the film industry. He had a role in a successful 2017 gangster film titled Chasing The Dragon. Chan also does work behind the scenes and still has a close relationship with Jackie Chan. He was in the news most recently for admitting he has lung cancer in September 2020. Chan also announced he’s getting officially married to his longtime partner, Wu Guoying.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237155862,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237155862?profile=original" /></a>Michael Chan’s life was something out of a movie. He accomplished something that many gangsters wish they could do, and that is being a celebrity to the public while still being respected on the streets. Michael Chan will forever be a legend in Hong Kong and his legacy in the underworld and cinema will last forever.</p>
<p><strong><em>For more on Asian Gangsters check out this <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asian_gangsters/" target="_blank">instagram page</a> or watch the videos on this</em></strong> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8NubkCy2A_70gyjpnXSYQ" target="_blank"><strong><em>YouTube channel</em></strong></a></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triads section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out our <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/gangsters-inc-on-social-media">social media channels</a></strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/about-gangsters-inc">About Gangsters Inc.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Asia’s Most Wanted Drug Lord - Profile of Triad boss Tse Chi Lop, nicknamed “Brother Number Three”
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/asia-s-most-wanted-drug-lord-profile-of-triad-boss-tse-chi-lop-ni
2021-01-23T19:37:26.000Z
2021-01-23T19:37:26.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><strong><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/asia-s-most-wanted-drug-lord-profile-of-triad-boss-tse-chi-lop-ni" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237133488,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237133488?profile=original" /></a></strong>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>The world is a big place. While everyone was focusing on the narco kingpins in the Americas, a powerful Triad boss was operating in the shadows, organizing the Asian drug trade under his rule, creating a $8 billion-a-year narcotics empire. The name of this criminal mastermind? Tse Chi Lop.</p>
<p>Born in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=China" target="_blank">China</a>’s Guangdong province, Tse Chi Lop would allegedly join the local <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triad</a> called the Big Circle Gang. Criminality is always a shaky life, but under the communist rulers, the stakes were higher and much more deadly. Many Triad members decided to move their operations from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong, which fell under British rule and functioned as a democracy. There, the gangsters were able to expand their operations. Tse was among them.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Linking the Golden Triangle and North America</strong></span></p>
<p>The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a>, however, were always looking for greener pasture. In 1988 Tse moved to <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Canada" target="_blank">Canada</a> where he became a citizen. In the following years, he collected thousands of airmiles as he traveled between North America and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Asia" target="_blank">Asia</a>, setting up a pipeline which smuggled <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin" target="_blank">heroin</a> from the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-golden-triangle-how-triads-cornered-the-heroin-market" target="_blank">Golden Triangle</a> into Canada and the United States.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triads-and-their-lucrative-movie-industry" target="_blank"><strong>Hong Kong Triads and 'their' lucrative movie industry</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>His lucrative route brought him to the attention of U.S. authorities. They busted his operation in 1998 after which he was found guilty of importing heroin into the United States. He was looking at a lengthy prison sentence, but managed to sway the judge to go easy on him: He got a 9-year sentence and was released in 2006.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237134459,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237134459?profile=original" /></a><em><strong>Photo: Tse Chi Lop</strong></em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Guaranteeing drug shipments</strong></span></p>
<p>After that he did what so many crime bosses who have tasted enormous riches and god-like power do: He went straight back to his old life. This time, he made some changes to his way of doing business. He would guarantee the delivery of drugs. If a shipment was lost or intercepted by police, Tse would send another load.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-rat-who-became-king-triad-boss-raymond-chow" target="_blank"><strong>The Rat who became King: Triad boss Raymond Chow</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>It sounds unbelievable, but <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in-australia" target="_blank">Australian</a> police discovered Tse’s way of doing business when they were tapping the phone of one of his drug contacts there. After one shipment was caught by police, Tse would send in another one. But when two more were seized, the contact was called in by his bosses in Hong Kong. While police cameras were following the drug trafficker, they saw him meet with Tse and another man.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-macau-triad-boss-tong-sang-lai" target="_blank"><strong>Profile of Macau Triad boss Tong Sang Lai</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>This proved not only Tse’s new way of running drug shipments, but also that he was back in the game. Why wouldn’t he be? Life was treating him good, police found out when they began tailing him after his meeting with the Australian drug distributor.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Living the high life</strong></span></p>
<p>Tse lived the high life, hosting big birthday bashes at luxurious resorts or 5-star hotels, traveling the globe in private jets, and betting huge amounts in Asia’s many <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Casino" target="_blank">casinos</a>. He is rumored to have lost as much as $66 million dollars in one night of gambling debauchery.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-deadly-battle-for-control-over-new-york-s-chinatown" target="_blank"><strong>The deadly battle for control over New York’s Chinatown</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>The life isn’t all fun and games of course, there are many threats. That is why Tse walked around with a large group of bodyguards, which would consist of eight men and rotate after various shifts to maintain his security at the highest level.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Five Triads unite and form The Company</strong></span></p>
<p>It was befitting the boss he had become. He was listed as one of 19 leaders of the international drug trafficking cartel known as “Sam Gor” or “The Company”. This cartel is comprised of five <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a> - <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=14K" target="_blank">14K</a>, Wo Shing Wo, Sun Yee On, the Big Circle Gang, and the Bamboo Union – who decided to work together in unison to reap maximum profits from the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drug trade</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-origins-of-the-chinese-mafia" target="_blank"><strong>Triads: Origins of the Chinese Mafia</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Sam Gor traffics tons of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Meth" target="_blank">methamphetamine</a>, heroin, and ketamine to numerous countries throughout Asia. It supplies <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/yakuza-overview" target="_blank">Yakuza Clans</a> in Japan and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bikers-amp-outlaw-motorcycle" target="_blank">outlaw biker gangs</a> in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in-australia" target="_blank">Australia</a> and New Zealand. Meth has become its biggest moneymaker. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Tse’s organization made $8 billion a year in revenue from meth in 2018. A modest estimate, it said, since it claimed revenue could be as high as $17.7 billion.</p>
<p>These kind of numbers squarely placed Tse on top of many law enforcement lists, including the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=DEA" target="_blank">DEA</a>, which said Tse was “believed to be” the leader of Sam Gor, while police in Taiwan named him the organization’s “Multinational CEO”. The media caught on quickly thereafter. In a big exposé <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/meth-syndicate/" target="_blank">Reuters</a> profiled the relative unknown drug lord, calling him Asia’s El Chapo.</p>
<p>Tse’s time of working in the shadows has come to an end. The spotlight shines brightly now and the heat is on.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>UPDATE JANUARY 23, 2020:</strong></span> On January 22, 2020, Tse Chi Lop was arrested at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Dutch police reported today. The 56-year-old was on his way to Canada. He was apprehended at the request of Australian police and will now face extradition to that country.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triads section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Bloody knife attacks as Triad gangs go to war in Hong Kong
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/bloody-knife-attacks-as-triad-gangs-go-to-war-in-hong-kong
2016-05-19T17:24:13.000Z
2016-05-19T17:24:13.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bloody-knife-attacks-as-triad-gangs-go-to-war-in-hong-kong"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237064892,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237064892?profile=original" width="500" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>It was a typical Wednesday at the Yau Yim Kee fruit store on Hong Kong’s Shek Lung Street. For over a century the store has been a staple for shoppers and passersby. Yesterday was no different. It was business as usual until the door opened and violence poured in.</p>
<p>Four men wearing surgical masks and gloves entered the store around 7 pm and slashed three people inside with knives, including the 37-year-old manager, whose neck received a seven-inch-long cut wound.</p>
<p>Within 30 seconds the assailants fled the scene in a waiting car, leaving behind a bloody mess.</p>
<p>Authorities believe the attack is linked to a feud between the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Wo Shing Wo</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">14K Triad</a> gangs and that it fits in a spate of violent incidents that find its origin in the alleged beating of Kwok Wing-hung - photo above, the leader of the Wo Shing Wo Triad.</p>
<p>Six months ago, Kwok Wing-hung, also known as “Shanghai Boy,” was hanging out in the ground-floor café of the five-star Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui around five in the afternoon when an unknown man approached him and allegedly punched him in the face.</p>
<p>The 57-year-old Triad boss kept it lighthearted after the attack, saying, “Someone said [I was] killed. You see. I’m in good shape. [I] just bumped into a table corner. You see how handsome [I am].”</p>
<p>But last month, one of his close associates - and Wo Shing Wo member - Pa Ki Ming was badly wounded in an ambush by a squad of eight rival gangsters.</p>
<p>It was time for revenge.</p>
<p>This brings us back to the Yau Yim Kee fruit store where three people, including one woman – the sister of the manager – and her husband, were badly wounded in a vicious knife attack.</p>
<p>According to an anonymous source close to the investigation, one of these three people “has close links with the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">14K</a> triad gang involved in the ongoing dispute with Wo Shing Wo.”</p>
<p>To get to one person the gangsters were willing to injure two more people who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Say what you want about the man who started the violence when he decided to punch a crime boss in the face, but at least he went straight for the source and didn’t mess with innocent bystanders.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triads section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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</ul>
<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p> </p></div>
Triads continue to dominate VIP rooms in Macau casinos
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triads-continue-to-dominate-vip-rooms-in-macau-casinos
2016-03-02T16:12:55.000Z
2016-03-02T16:12:55.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-continue-to-dominate-vip-rooms-in-macau-casinos"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237059254,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237059254?profile=original" width="500" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Just when you thought they were out… It turns out the Triads – the Chinese Mafia – continue to control gambling and loansharking in casinos in Macau, Asia’s gambling mecca. According to a report published in the British Journal of Criminology, Triad gangs have simply altered their way of doing business, becoming more low-key and more businesslike.</p>
<p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Chinese Triads</a> have long been an intimidating presence in casinos in Hong Kong and Macau. Its members dominated the lucrative VIP rooms at various casinos and frequently went to war with each other over the territories.</p>
<p>After violence reached a peak during the late 1990s, authorities have cracked down on the Triads and busted infamous bosses like <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">“Broken Tooth”</a> on racketeering charges. Things quieted down and it seemed law enforcement had finally reestablished law and order on the casino floors.</p>
<p>However, according to the new report entitled “Triad Organized Crime in Macau Casinos: Extra-legal governance and entrepreneurship,” the Triads never really left. Rather, they changed up their game and modus operandi.</p>
<p>The report is written by T. Wing Lo, and Sharon Ingrid Kwok, two academics from City University of Hong Kong from the Department of Applied Social Sciences. They studied the Macau gaming scene for 30 months starting in 2012 all the way through to 2015, interviewing VIP room managers, operators and visitors, police, and Triad members.</p>
<p>Their study finds that the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triads</a> have simply begun running a more businesslike operation, using front men inside the VIP rooms to oversee their interests. To continue running gambling junkets between Hong Kong, China, and Macau, Triads set up ghost companies, hiding the involvement of Triad leaders.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9236984275,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9236984275?profile=original" /></a>One “Chinese manager,” the report states, who was interviewed in February 2015, even claimed that the “blood brother of [14K Triad leader] <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">‘Broken Tooth’</a> operates a VIP room” and that <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">“Broken Tooth”</a> (photo right) himself works at the establishment following his release from prison in December 2013.</p>
<p>“New forms of betting and crime have emerged to meet the needs of high-end gamblers, thus resulting in the formation of a triad-enterprise hybrid that comprises territoriality and reputation of violence commonly found in extra-legal governance and the dynamic entrepreneurship of small firms,” the publication reads.</p>
<p>“[Triads] continue to treat the VIP rooms as their economic territories and provide extra-legal governance,” it concludes. “They monopolize the VIP rooms, treat them as their territories and ensure that rivals would not steal their whales [high-rollers]. They punish cheats and frauds that occur in their territories, where occasional use of violence is seen.”</p>
<p>That sounds like business as usual indeed.</p>
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Profile: Macau Triad boss Tong Sang Lai
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-macau-triad-boss-tong-sang-lai
2015-02-12T13:54:32.000Z
2015-02-12T13:54:32.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-macau-triad-boss-tong-sang-lai"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237038478,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237038478?profile=original" width="246" /></a></p>
<p>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>No matter how hard Tong Sang Lai (photo above) ran, his past eventually caught up with him. As a leader of the Shui Fong Triad in Macau he fled to North America after a violent war over the island’s gambling riches drew too much heat. Yesterday, the Federal Court of Appeal in Canada upheld a ruling that he was a Triad boss and therefore inadmissible to Canada.</p>
<p>The ruling yesterday marked the end of a legal battle between Tong Sang Lai and Canadian courts that started in 2011. Though his criminal ties prevent him from staying in the country, his wife and three children are allowed to remain in Vancouver.</p>
<p>In relative safety, one might add. For Tong Sang Lai will return to an island that, though it has changed drastically since his departure in 1996, still harbors plenty of people who have an axe to grind with the runaway crime boss.</p>
<p>When Tong Sang Lai first applied for permanent residence in February 1994 a Triad war was lighting up Macau. The conflict was his main reason for wanting to take his family and flee. It was also the reason things did not move as smooth as he had wished. All the fighting created newspaper headlines and authorities referred his application for enhanced criminal checks, after which he withdrew his application.</p>
<p>Despite his plans to move away from Macau, he apparently held enough sway among the troops. According to a Macau police document Tong Sang Lai was elected as “top leader” of the Shui Fong Triad in 1995. The Shui Fong Triad falls under the larger umbrella of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Wo On Lok Triad group</a> and is involved in gambling, extortion, and prostitution. Tong Sang Lai has always denied being a Triad leader.</p>
<p>The war that was being fought under his reign was primarily about control of the VIP rooms at various Macau casinos. “Police believe on one side of the bloodshed was the Shui Fung, or Water Room gang, headed by Lai. On the other end the Macau branch of 14K, purportedly the second-largest triad in the world, headed by a notorious gangster known as <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">Broken Tooth Koi</a>,” The Canadian Press reported.</p>
<p>In 1996 Tong Sang Lai applied for residency in Canada at the nation’s consulate in Los Angeles, where, amazingly enough, his application was approved without a background check. He arrived in Vancouver on October 20 and moved into a 750,000 dollar luxury home in east Vancouver.</p>
<p>However, if he thought he would be safe in his posh new home, he was wrong. His archenemy <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">Wan Kuok-koi</a>, also known as Broken Tooth, leader of the 14K Triad which had been warring with Tong Sang Lai’s Shui Fong Triad, immediately contacted his associates in Canada and ordered them to hit his longtime foe.</p>
<p>In July 1997, Tong Sang Lai’s Vancouver home was the target of a drive-by shooting.</p>
<p>Interestingly, police caught the whole thing on wiretap. Broken Tooth’s phone was bugged when he asked a Vancouver 14K gangster whether his boss, Simon Kwok Chow, would take a HK$1 million contract to track down and murder Tong Sang Lai.</p>
<p>This in turn gave investigators enough cause to tap Tong Sang Lai’s phone as well. He was heard receiving briefings from Triad underlings on the war in Macau, which was proof of his ongoing role as Triad boss.</p>
<p>Tong Sang Lai survived the drive-by shooting and would remain in Vancouver for seventeen more years. Now he faces deportation. Whether he will survive as long in Macau as he did in Canada is anyone’s guess, but it is certain he will not be relaxing at the local casinos anytime soon.</p>
<p>Especially considering the fact that his arch nemesis Broken Tooth was <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka">released</a> from prison in December 2012 and is free to roam Macau just as he was back during their wartime days. </p>
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Triad gangster accused of running gambling empire
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triad-gangster-accused-of-running-gambling-empire
2014-08-07T12:30:00.000Z
2014-08-07T12:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-gangster-accused-of-running-gambling-empire"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237033691,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237033691?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p><strong>UPDATE: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/paul-phua-denies-being-14k-triad-boss-other-allegations">Paul Phua denies being 14K Triad boss, also denies other allegations</a></strong></p>
<p>50-year-old Wei Seng Phua was known as a high roller around the world. The Malaysian played poker at the highest stakes and was known for his huge bankroll which was labeled as “a bottomless pile.” According to his own testimony he is worth between $300 and $400 million dollars. According to authorities he is worth much more. And, worse, they say he is a high ranking member of the 14K Triad who ran a billion-dollar illegal gambling operation from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Yet, despite their best efforst, in the end, they dropped all charges against him.</p>
<p>If he was, in fact, operating a large scale gambling business from three luxurious villas in Caesars Palace - after all he has not been convicted yet – then he did not worry too much about hiding that from casino personnel.</p>
<p>Upon arriving at villa 8881 – 8 is a lucky number in Asia – he requested an unusually large amount of electronic equipment and technical support. While casino personnel were setting up everything for their client, they noticed that it looked very similar to the screens at the casino’s sports book. Computers were displaying betting odds for games of the World Cup 2014 and gambling websites that were illegal in the United States.</p>
<p>The casino contacted the Nevada Gaming Control Board which subsequently determined that the set-up was similar to a “wire room” where illegal wagers are made and monitored, and that Phua and his crew were monitoring the World Cup and betting odds associated with World Cup soccer games in furtherance of operating a gambling business.</p>
<p>Apparently the number 8 wasn’t so lucky after all.</p>
<p>Because over the next month, law enforcement agents worked undercover and began monitoring the activity. On July 9, agents raided the villas where they recovered gambling records, computer equipment, and other items. As agents swarmed the place, Phua was inside villa 8882 watching the semifinal between Argentina and The Netherlands with his son. From the start of the World Cup on June 12 until July 5, the bets allegedly reached a total of HK$2.7 billion.</p>
<p>A week later, Phua, his son, and six others were arrested and charged with one count of unlawful transmission of wagering information and one count of operating an illegal gambling business. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison on the unlawful transmission count and up to five years in prison on the illegal gambling business count, as well as fines on each count of up to $250,000. Both Phua and his son have pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237034063,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237034063?profile=original" width="212" /></a>This isn’t Phua’s first run in with the law.</p>
<p>According to the FBI, Phua (right) is known to be a high ranking member of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">14K Triad</a>, an Asian organized crime group originating from Hong Kong. Whether this allegation is true is difficult to confirm, however, one does wonder how Phua was then able to lead such a high profile life of riches in the United States while attending poker tournaments and organizing gambling junkets to Macau for VIPs, something he was so good at that in the first year he raked in turnover of about HK$36.5 billion. Wouldn’t such a member of one of the world’s most notorious Triad gangs be of interest to the FBI? And if so, why did it take an employee from Caesars Palace to sound the alarm?</p>
<p>Especially considering the fact that before this bust, Phua was arrested in Macau, along with more than 20 other individuals, for operating an illegal sport book gambling business transacting illegal bets. Phua posted bail in Macau, was released and arrived in Las Vegas shortly thereafter.</p>
<p>After his arrest, Phua’s influence quickly became apparent as he had famous poker players Phil Ivey, a 10-time World Series of Poker champion who lives in Las Vegas, put up $1 million and Andrew Robl post the other $1.5 million of father and son Phua’s bail.</p>
<p>While his poker buddies were by his side, other friends and business associates had a sudden change of heart about their relationship with Phua. Those junkets he organized to Macau? “Mr Phua has never been an employee nor a junket operator at Wynn,” Wynn Resorts spokesman Michael Weaver wrote to the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1560119/las-vegas-arrest-snared-worlds-online-gambling-guru-malaysian-paul-phua" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a>.</p>
<p>And what about his role as San Marino's ambassador to Montenegro which he fulfilled for more than three years? Well, San Marino revoked his diplomatic status faster than you can say “San Marino” after the news of his Las Vegas arrest reached political figures there. Both the Montenegro and San Marino foreign ministries told the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1561762/us-releases-gambling-kingpin-paul-phua-bail" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a> that Phua was never even formally recognized as envoy.</p>
<p>When the chips are down you come to realize who truly has your back.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s not that unusual that Phua was able to mingle and do business with the legitimate and political elite. He’s a gambler. He likes to play poker. He likes to bet on a sporting event. Who doesn’t?! Nothing criminal about that, no?</p>
<p>While in Vegas Phua was placing bets using <a href="https://www.sbobet.com/" target="_blank">SBOBet</a>, an online betting platform registered on the Isle of Man, and <a href="http://www.ibcbet.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank">IBCBet</a>, which is based in the Philippines and Phua allegedly “owns” or at the very least is heavily invested in. Neither website is licensed to operate in Nevada.</p>
<p>Illegal gambling in Nevada. It reads like an oxymoron. Yet, it’s very real to Phua right now. While U.S. prosecutors <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2011/04/15/founders-of-worlds-biggest-online-poker-companies-indicted/" target="_blank">shut down</a> online poker in the United States in 2011, European poker players were still able to go all in and cash out. The line between legal and illegal is extremely thin when it comes to gambling. When crime boss <a href="http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/schultz/rackets_3.html" target="_blank">Dutch Schultz</a> ran the lottery it was illegal. When the government busted it and started up its own version it became legal and was promoted on national television to entice people to buy a ticket.</p>
<p>Though illegal gambling finances organized crime and criminal activity, legal gambling can finance banks and various other corrupt and harmful institutions deemed legitimate. The public loses its money either way. The business of gambling is rigged so that the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-truth-behind-movie-classic-casino">casino always wins</a>. And despite Phua’s status elsewhere in the world, in the United States he is not the casino.</p>
<p>UPDATE: Or is he? A judge ruled the FBI's search of Phua's villa unconstitutional after which prosecutors withdrew all charges against him.</p>
<p>The damage was already done. Media around the world, including us at Gangsters Inc., have branded Phua as a Triad member. Something he <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/paul-phua-denies-being-14k-triad-boss-other-allegations">vehemently denies</a>, going so far as offering proof how the FBI came to that conclusion. You can read his explanation at <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/paul-phua-denies-being-14k-triad-boss-other-allegations">PokerNews</a>.</p>
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Hong Kong Triads and 'their' lucrative movie industry
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triads-and-their-lucrative-movie-industry
2013-10-24T19:30:00.000Z
2013-10-24T19:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triads-and-their-lucrative-movie-industry"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237030698,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237030698?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Michael Bay has run into some problems while filming <a href="http://amzn.to/1cgcD2N" target="_blank">Transformers 4</a> on location in Hong Kong. He’s been the victim of two separate extortion attempts in as many weeks. One attempt even featured a member of a Triad. The Triads, the Chinese version of the Mafia, have a notorious and bloody history in the Hong Kong movie industry.</p>
<p>Bay, known for bombastic Hollywood blockbusters such as <a href="http://amzn.to/1cgdctw" target="_blank">Bad Boys</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/HjU92U" target="_blank">Armageddon</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/HjU5jy" target="_blank">The Rock</a>, is familiar with film violence, but it’s a completely different situation when it’s real. Last week, while filming on King’s Road in Quarry Bay (photo right), Bay and his crew were hassled by two men.</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9237032469,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237032469,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237032469?profile=original" width="400" /></a>“Some drugged-up guys were being belligerent asses to my crew for hours...,” Bay <a href="http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/" target="_blank">wrote</a> on his website. “One guy rolled metal carts into some of my actors trying to shake us down for thousands of dollars to not play his loud music or hit us with bricks. Every vendor where we shot got paid a fair price for our inconvenience, but he wanted four times that amount.”</p>
<p>The director personally told the man to forget it, that they were not going to be extorted. Bay: “He didn’t like that answer. So an hour later he came by my crew as we were shooting, carrying a long air conditioner unit. He walked right up to me and tried to smack my face. But I ducked, threw the air unit on the floor and pushed him away. That’s when the security jumped on him. But it took seven big guys to subdue him. It was like a Zombie in Brad Pitt’s movie ‘<a href="http://amzn.to/1dollLX" target="_blank">World War Z</a>’ he lifted seven guys up and tried to bite them.”</p>
<p>Two men, Mak Chi-shing, 27, and Mak Chi-hang, 28, were arrested and charged with attempting to extort HK$100,000 from the film crew. “A prosecutor said they caused “harassment” to the crew but did not claim to be members of a triad society,” the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1338788/brothers-accused-extortion-attempt-transformers-film-crew-released" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a> reported.</p>
<p>This week, however, another man made a brand new attempt to extort the film crew in To Kwa Wan, located across the water from Quarry Bay. This time, the man did have connections to a Triad society.</p>
<p>According to a government statement received by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/transformers-set-attacked-again-hong-kong_n_4155337.html" target="_blank">AP</a>, “a production company crew member was setting up on the roof of a building in Kowloon on Tuesday when four men ‘intimidated her and asked for money.’ She called police, who arrested a 35-year-old man. He's being held pending further inquiries. The three others are still wanted. The case has been classified as blackmail and a police anti-triad unit is investigating.”</p>
<p>The four men allegedly are members of the Sun Yee On Triad gang, one of the three most powerful and prominent <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triad groups</a>. It’s also a group that has considerable clout in the Hong Kong movie industry. An industry that has proven to be very lucrative for all the Triads.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://amzn.to/17fMU6A" target="_blank">The Dragon Syndicates</a>, author Martin Booth writes, “By 1990, the Hong Kong film industry was the biggest in the world after those of Hollywood and Bombay. It was then that the Triads started to muscle in on the business, trying to coral top stars such as Anita Mui, Jackie Chan, Leslie Cheung, or <a href="http://amzn.to/HjTVZG" target="_blank">Chow Yun-fat</a>, as well as the sex goddess Amy Yip.”</p>
<p>Using typical strong-arm mafia tactics, the Triads tried to get these stars to act in movies they were producing. Threats were uttered, businesses were vandalized or burnt down, industry people were beaten, kidnapped, sometimes even tortured or murdered. It was a whole new way of doing business in a world already known for its harsh manners.</p>
<p>And superstars such as <a href="http://amzn.to/1cgcZq7" target="_blank">Jackie Chan</a> (<a href="http://amzn.to/1eNQsyy" target="_blank">Rush Hour</a>) were not exempt of these violent maneuvers. Booth: “Jackie Chan was ordered to take the leading role in a movie financed by the Wah Ching, an American-Chinese organized crime syndicate. Chan refused.”</p>
<p>At that time, Chan was under contract with the Golden Harvest production company, as a result of his refusal to cooperate with the Wah Ching, the company’s office in San Francisco was shot up by gunmen. Chan was also rumored to have been ordered to pay $4 million for damages and loss of face to the Wah Ching. According to Booth it is unclear whether this payment was ever made.</p>
<p>With the recent extortion attempt by members of the Sun Yee On it is interesting to take a look at the leadership of this Triad group, since it’s there where we can see the strong links between the criminal underworld and the film industry.</p>
<p>Take the brothers Heung for instance. They are an interesting bunch. Heung Wah-yim led the Sun Yee On for decades before being sentenced to over seven years in prison in 1988. He would only serve two years though and went on to control the Triad after his release. By then, Heung’s two brothers Charles and Jimmy were heavily involved in the bustling Hong Kong film industry with their production studio Win's Entertainment Ltd. Together with the aforementioned Golden Harvest these two were the most successful production companies in Hong Kong.</p>
<p>In 1992, Jimmy left the movie business, allegedly to become a <a href="http://www.copi.com/articles/triads3.html" target="_blank">leader</a> of the Sun Yee On, while Charles founded the China Star Entertainment Group. The company produced films starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng, and Simon Yam.</p>
<p>Jet Li, who is now a big Hollywood actor, starring in movies such as <a href="http://amzn.to/HjTBu1" target="_blank">Romeo Must Die</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/1hdk8Y6" target="_blank">Lethal Weapon 4</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/1hdkgXw" target="_blank">The Expendables</a> franchise, began working exclusively for the Heung brothers after his own manager was murdered.</p>
<p>In Hong Kong, reality has a lot in common with the gangster films the city’s studios produce. That Michael Bay’s giant alien robots are now facing a similar threat is an indication that the Triads’ attitude towards filming hasn’t changed one bit.</p>
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Profile of Triad boss Chung Mon
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-chung-mon
2010-11-03T17:47:59.000Z
2010-11-03T17:47:59.000Z
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<p><br /> By David Amoruso<br /> Posted on June 16, 2008<br /><br /> Chung "Unicorn" Mon was born on September 10, 1920 in Po On in the Guangdong province of China. When he was 18 he started working as a ship's cook on a freighter on its way to Rotterdam, The Netherlands. After arriving in The Netherlands Mon deserted and vanished into the small Chinese community. He stayed there during the occupation of The Netherlands by German forces during WW II. It was all about survival in those days and Mon was allegedly playing the part as an informer for the German gestapo. In order to obtain the Dutch nationality Mon married a Dutch woman named Ann Hess, who gave birth to their daughter.<br /> <br /> The 14K Triad had a keen interest in Europe and The Netherlands. They saw it as an untapped market where they could sell millions worth of drugs. Chung Mon became a member of the 14K and was assigned to run their European operations. At this point Mon was a successful businessman. Settled in Amsterdam, he owned restaurants, travel agencies, and casinos. Interestingly several arrested drug couriers listed the address of one of his restaurants as their final destination. Mon always claimed this was because he was a respected citizen running a restaurant many Chinese used as a meeting place.<br /> <br /> <img style="float:right;" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9236984883,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" />And Mon got away with it. He did a lot of work for charity and was decorated by the Dutch government. He had a good relationship with the Amsterdam police because he would give them good information on other drug dealers. By the late 1960s Mon was firmly in charge of Triad operations in Europe. So much so that he reputedly took a 5 percent cut of every Triad drug deal. His connection ran all the way to the Taiwanese government. In 1973 he even started exporting to the US, which brought him under the attention of the DEA.<br /> <br /> But other Triads and Asian crime groups started noticing the money to be made, and wanted a piece of the action. The Wo Shing Wo Triad set themselves up in Rotterdam, while other groups set up shop in Antwerp (Belgium) and Koblenz (Germany). A war broke out among the groups over who would control the heroin market. Chung Mon tipped off the police to get rid of his rivals and managed to maintain control. Of course his modus operandi wasn't one that was respected among criminals.<br /> <br /> On March 3, 1975 three Chinese men approached Mon as he stepped towards his Mercedes outside his office in Amsterdam. The three were armed and fired ten bullets into the Chinese Godfather. The men were never arrested. It is believed they were flown in from Hong Kong to murder Mon, and flew back immediatly after. Chung Mon is considered to be the man responsible for the start of the heroin scourge that plagued Europe ever since. </p>
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Profile of Triad boss Wan Kuok-Koi a.k.a. "Broken Tooth"
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-wan-kuokkoi-aka
2010-11-03T17:30:00.000Z
2010-11-03T17:30:00.000Z
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<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9236984275,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /><br /> By David Amoruso<br /> Posted February 5, 2007 <strong>(updated in December 2012)</strong><br /><br /> Until December 1999, Macau was under Portugese rule. During that time gambling was legalized, making it a casino state in Asia. It became known as the "Monte Carlo of the Orient". The gambling industry yields big profits and so there are loopholes for loan sharking, prostitution and other kinds of organized crime. <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">The Triads</a> saw the possibilities, and got involved. Two years before the change from Portugese to Chinese rule several Triads were fighting for control of the Macau rackets.<br /> <br /> One of the most notorious, and famous, participants in that fight for Macau was Wan Kuok-koi, a.k.a. “Broken Tooth.” Wan Kuok-koi is a leader, or Shan Chu, of the 14K triad. In 1987 Ng Wai came to Macau. Wai was a senior 14K member and together with Kuok-koi, he ousted their leader Ping Mo-ding. As time passed Kuok-koi’s power and influence grew, and Wai considered him a threat. The two men fell out, and Wai ordered an attack on Kuok-koi’s men. Kuok-koi hit back, and an internal war errupted. Kuok-koi had ammassed enough influence and won, taking over Wai’s rackets, which earned him an estimated $6 million a month.<br /> <br /> In May 1998 Kuok-koi was arrested. When police came to arrest him, Kuok-koi was watching a movie he himself had produced, titled Casino. Kuok-koi was involved in every level of production of the gangster film. The lead role is played by Simon Yam Tat-wah whos brother is head of the Hong Kong Police Tactical Unit and one-time commander of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau.<br /> <br /> Kuok-koi pleaded not guilty. He said he was just another businessman who had nothing to do with the 14K Triad. He declared himself a bona fide gaming chip trader, a high-stakes gambler and real estate investor. The prosecution lined up some 50 witnesses against Kuok-koi. It also cited a string of media interviews Wan gave in the mid-1990s, in which he allegedly declared himself a leader of the main 14K triad gang.<br /> <br /> In November 1999 Kuok-koi, his brother, and seven others were found guilty of criminal association, loan-sharking and illegal gambling. Kuok-koi was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Upon hearing the verdict all men shouted out curses, also accusing police of corruption.<br /> <br /> Wearing a white T-shirt, Wan Kuok-koi walked out of Coloane prison in Macau as he smiled at reporters. Now aged 57, he has served over fourteen years there under a maximum security regime and, according to his lawyer, received no special privileges. Kuok-Koi was picked up by two men, one reported to be his brother, in a white Lexus early on Saturday, December 1, 2012.<br /> <br /> There is much speculation about what the crime boss will do next. Macau has changed significantly since the days he ruled the island as leader of the 14K Triad. Pedro Leal, one of Kuok-koi's lawyers, told the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1094692/gangster-broken-tooth-wan-kuok-koi-wants-quiet-post-prison-life" target="_blank">South China Morning Post</a>: "The only thing he wants is for people to forget him. In recent weeks he's been on the cover of many magazines and they've all talked about his past. All he wants is to be left in peace. He's going to lead a quiet life from now on."</p>
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