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2024-03-28T09:49:35Z
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The Mother Snake: Profile of female Shanghai crime boss She Aizhen
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-mother-snake-profile-of-female-shanghai-crime-boss-she-aizhen
2021-05-14T09:47:36.000Z
2021-05-14T09:47:36.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-mother-snake-profile-of-female-shanghai-crime-boss-she-aizhen" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237160863,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237160863?profile=original" /></a>By “Asian Gangsters” for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Female gangsters have always been a rare phenomenon in any time and place. Female gangsters like Bonnie Parker and Griselda Blanco are some of the best known lady outlaws, but little is known about the women from the east. Shanghai, China which was historically a breeding ground for organized crime, produced many females who rose to prominence in the underworld. One of these women was She Aizhen 佘爱珍.</p>
<p>She Aizhen’s (photo above, left) name is mostly unknown, but she was notorious in her day. Aizhen was a not just a female criminal, she was a certified gangster who struck fear into the hearts of many Chinese. Her interesting biography includes her days pulling off heists on the street, all the way to working for a secret police force during World War 2. Aizhen’s unbelievable story will show people that not only men were respected in the Chinese underworld.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237161069,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237161069?profile=original" /></a>Tiger mom</strong></span></p>
<p>Aizhen was born in the year 1900 in Shanghai to a wealthy family comprised of descendants of Qing royalty. As a young girl, she was always the toughest one in school and she beat up many of her classmates. Aizhen (right) was fascinated with gangsters at a young age and desired to be an outlaw. At the age of 14, she got pregnant from an older gangster from the neighborhood. The boy didn’t want to marry her, so she threatened him with a knife until he accepted marriage. This is when she realized that she he could bully anyone into submission. She became a loyal housewife until the unexpected death of her son at 9 years old. After the death of her son, she divorced the young man and began to work in a casino in Shanghai.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Green Gang</strong></span></p>
<p>Around the early 1920s Shanghai was booming and became known as the Sin City of the East. Gangsters ran the city and it was infested with <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Casino" target="_blank">casinos</a>, opium dens and whore houses. The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Green Gang</a> dominated the all these rackets. The Green Gang were best known for its three prominent leaders: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-shanghai-triad-boss-du-yueh-sheng" target="_blank">Du Yuesheng</a>, Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin. Aizhen caught the attention of an older leader from the Green Gang named Ji Yunqing 季云卿. They became so close that Ji and his wife adopted Aizhen as their daughter. This led to her formally joining the Green Gang as a low level gangster. She became involved in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Extortion" target="_blank">extortion</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Robbery" target="_blank">robberies</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drug dealing</a> and shootouts - and she earned the reputation as the number one female gangster in Shanghai next to Huang Jinrong’s wife Lin Guisheng.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237161289,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237161289?profile=original" /></a><em>Photo: Green Gang members.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Asian Bonnie and Clyde</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237161669,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237161669?profile=original" width="122" height="199" /></a>Ji Yunqing eventually introduced She Aizhen to another prominent Green Gang gangster named Wu Sibao 吴四宝 (left). Wu was a well-respected figure in the underworld and he earned a fortune from running casinos. He had the reputation of a merciless gangster who would routinely torture his enemies. Wu was also Ji Yunqing’s bodyguard and he saved Ji’s life from an assassination attempt. To repay his trusted bodyguard, Ji promised Wu his newly adopted daughter to marry—She Aizhen. Wu and She eventually got married and became the Asian Bonnie and Clyde. </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>ALSO READ: Famous movie star and respected gangster - Profile of</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/famous-movie-star-and-respected-gangster-profile-of-14k-triad-bos" target="_blank"><strong>14K Triad boss Michael Chan</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Despite Wu’s reputation as a tough guy, it was said that even he feared his wife. On one instance, Aizhen caught her husband fooling around with a female singer, so she went to the singers house with armed men and shot in the air as she scratched the skin off her face. After Wu heard about the incident he feared for his own life and begged on his knees for his wife’s forgiveness.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Mother Snake</strong></span></p>
<p>Fast forward the late 30s. Wu Sibao became associated with the Wang Jingwei regime, which was a puppet state of Japan during their conquest of China. Wu and Aizhen became prominent members of the “No.76” which was the secret service of the puppet regime. They were employed to intimidate, beat, and sometimes kill Chinese people who were plotting against the Japanese. From 1939 to 1943, the No. 76 was involved with over 3000 assassinations and kidnappings.</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>One famous case of the secret service was the torturing and killing of Zheng Pingru 鄭蘋如. Zheng was an outspoken anti-Japanese social figure from Shanghai, which got her tortured by Aizhen and eventually shot dead. Aizhen’s role in the brutality earned her the name “Mother Snake” and she was considered the most feared woman in Shanghai.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Shootout with British police</strong></span></p>
<p>Despite She and Wu’s government collaboration, they were still outlaws and heavily involved in the underworld. In 1941, She Aizhen and others were in a major shootout with British police after police asked them to hand in their guns when they were crossing the British Shanghai International Settlement border. The shootout ended with people dead on both sides, but Aizhen miraculously survived. Her driver and bodyguards were killed but Aizhen was found taking cover in a car covered in shattered glass. Aizhen became a legend in the Shanghai underworld after the shootout.</p>
<p>In the spring of 1942, Wu Sibao planned a major heist against the Japanese. He heard the Japanese wanted to ship a large amount of gold to the Zhengjin Bank. Wu Sibao sent gangsters to ambush the vehicles carrying the gold on Sichuan Road. The Japanese men fled, and Wu’s men successfully took over the vehicle. The problem was the driver fled with the key which caused the men to stall. The delay allowed Japanese authorities to come and arrest all the men.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mama-san-godmother-of-the-chinese-underworld" target="_blank"><strong>Mama San: Godmother of the Chinese Underworld</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237160492,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237160492?profile=original" width="146" height="199" /></a>Wu Sibao was eventually found guilty for masterminding the failed heist and he was imprisoned. She Aizhen bribed the Japanese so her husband can have good treatment in prison. Li Shiqun 李士群 (right), the leader of the No.76, bailed Wu out of prison one month later. Three days after his release, Wu was found dead in the city of Suzhou. The cause of death was said to be poisoning. It is believed that Li Shiqun poisoned Wu on orders from the Japanese. A year later Li Shiqun was also found poisoned to death, which led many to believe that She Aizhen avenged her husband’s death, however the case remains a mystery till this day.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Exile</strong></span></p>
<p>At the end of World War 2, China was liberated after Japan surrendered to the allies in 1945. Any former collaborators with the Japanese were considered traitors and they were executed or imprisoned. She Aizhen was tried for her collaboration and sentenced to 7 years in prison. After her release she immediately fled to Hong Kong.</p>
<p>While in Hong Kong, She Aizhen reunited with another traitor from the Wang Jingwei regime named Hu Lancheng. Hu was a prominent figure in the regime and he was married to the famous feminist novelist Eileen Chang. She Aizhen became Chang’s rival and made it her goal to steal her husband. Despite Eileen Chang’s talent and beauty, Hu Lancheng could not resist She Aizhen’s charm and the two became a couple. Shortly after, the two fled to Japan to avoid further prosecutions.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237162262,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237162262?profile=original" /></a><em>Photo: She Aizhen and Hu Lancheng</em></p>
<p>In Japan, She Aizhen and Hu Lancheng officially got married in 1954. She Aizhen ran a restaurant and was very popular amongst the Chinese community in Japan. She managed to get herself locked up again for a short period of time for unknown trivial matters. After her final imprisonment, She Aizhen lived a peaceful secluded life with her husband until his death in 1981. She Aizhen’s death date is unknown but it is rumored she died not long after.</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>She Aizhen was a tough woman who didn’t let her gender define her role in society. The time period in which she lived, makes her life even that much more extraordinary. Although She Aizhen is considered a traitor to the Chinese, she will still go down as a legendary figure in the history of organized crime. We hope this article will teach more people about this forgotten gangster lady.</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>
The Chinese Godfather - Profile of Chinese-Italian crime boss Zhang “Il Uomo Nero” Naizhong
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-chinese-godfather-profile-of-chinese-italian-crime-boss-zhang
2021-01-03T16:30:00.000Z
2021-01-03T16:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-chinese-godfather-profile-of-chinese-italian-crime-boss-zhang" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237151477,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237151477?profile=original" /></a>By Joe Francis for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Since Italy and Europe are becoming more diverse, the Italian organized crime groups no longer have a monopoly on crime in Italy. Not only are ethnic <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Albania" target="_blank">Albanians</a> on the rise, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/nigerian-mafia-in-italy-now-on-the-same-level-as-the-camorra-poli" target="_blank">Nigerian</a> and <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Chinese gangs</a> are also making way. The thought of non-Italians being involved in crime in the homeland of organized crime is a shock to many but a reality. Chinese gangs with loose connections to the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads in Asia</a> are involved in many rackets such as <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drugs</a>, illegal <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gambling" target="_blank">gambling</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Prostitution" target="_blank">prostitution</a>, human smuggling and of course violence. Now in Italy, many Chinese from the Zhejiang and Fujian province of China have been flocking to the Northern Italian cities such as Tuscany, Florence and Milan. Most of these immigrants are honest hard workers, but some of them have different motives. Zhang Naizhong is one of these newcomers who is taking advantage of the situation and runs a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>ALSO READ: Asia’s Most Wanted Drug Lord - Profile of</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>Triad boss Tse Chi Lop, nicknamed “Brother Number Three”</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237151891,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237151891?profile=original" /></a>59-year-old Zhang (right), who is known as “Il Uomo Nero” (The Black Man), is an immigrant from the Zhejiang province and his gang is some of the most powerful Asian gangsters in Europe. They have been involved in almost every crime imaginable but their luxury comes primarily from human trafficking, prostitution, slave labor and importing cheap goods. Italian law enforcement has stated that Zhang has a complete monopoly on the importation of Chinese goods. Through traditional <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Mafia" target="_blank">Mafia</a> methods, he built an empire to become the main man in the distribution of goods from China to thousands of Chinese companies in Europe.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>ALSO 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>Zhang was first noticed by law enforcement in 2011 after a slew of murders between a Fujianese gang and Zhang’s Zhejiangese gang, which resulted in Zhang becoming the head man in charge. His reputation as a killer keeps him in power and he was quoted saying: “If you join me you will live; if you go against me, you will die”.</p>
<p>Then in 2016 he drew more attention when three Chinese prostitutes that were held captive by gangsters in Milan decided to kill themselves by jumping off a balcony. In January 2018, Zhang and 32 members of his group were arrested and accused of belonging to a criminal organization, but they were eventually released due to lack of evidence.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237152486,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237152486?profile=original" /></a><strong><em>Photo: Alleged members of Zhang's organization</em></strong></p>
<p>Police say Zhang manages to stay off the radar due to him dealing only with other Chinese people and not the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/italian-organized-crime" target="_blank">Italian Mafia</a>. It was noted that the victims of Chinese gangster killings are almost always other Chinese, which keeps Italian gangsters and police away. Also, Zhang and the gang speak the Zhejiang dialect which makes it almost impossible for Italian authorities to spy. This also caused the Italian authorities to reach out to Chinese authorities for assistance. Today, Zhang Naizhong is a free man but currently fighting a usury case in Prato, Italy. The extent of his control on his former racket is under investigation, but he is still believed to be the most powerful Chinese gangster in Italy.</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>
Triads: Origins of the Chinese Mafia
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triads-origins-of-the-chinese-mafia
2019-01-08T16:18:37.000Z
2019-01-08T16:18:37.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
https://gangstersinc.org/members/GangstersInc
<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-origins-of-the-chinese-mafia" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237118069,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237118069?profile=original" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>The Chinese Mafia - better known as the Triads - has a complicated history seeped in political conflict that occurred centuries ago, when emperors and dynasties ruled China and monks used kung fu to rise up against their oppressors.</p>
<p>During its long and rich history China has seen a lot of bloodshed. Centuries ago Chinese emperors ruled their empire with an iron fist and many of them were subsequently overthrown after a bloody revolt. Even though the emperors suppressed the people, they could never control them. Throughout China’s history its people have formed secret societies to find protection against thieves, bandits, and their nation’s leaders. Most of these secret societies were honest, but others were not and became criminal fraternities.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Tiandihui: China’s First Triad Society</strong></span></p>
<p>By the mid-eighteenth century one secret society stood out in terms of its criminal operations. Although it wasn’t a criminal society from the beginning. Operating in the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, the Tiandihui, or Heaven and Earth Society, started out as a secret society providing help to Chinese who needed it most. Peasants who lost their land, or could not find any work were among the people who came to the Tiandihui to ask for help and assistance during these hard times. The requirements to become a member of the Tiandihui were less strict than they were with other secret societies, but the Tiandihui provided the same services, thus making them a very attractive group to join. </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>Once one became a member of the Tiandihui he agreed to protect his Society brothers and help expand the Society by introducing new members. After an initiation ceremony the new brother was given a membership certificate and the society’s secrets, which consisted of hand signs, esoteric prayers, and passwords.</p>
<p>As a member one could call upon his Society when he was in trouble. For instance, when a member was out of money he could turn to his brothers for help. But his Society also helped out when thieves robbed him, or if criminals were trying to extort his business. When that happened, Tiandihui’s enforcers were sent out to avenge their brother and make things right. Eventually this blanket of security became the primary reason for Chinese to join this secret society. With everybody turning to their society for revenge it wasn’t long before members of different societies were at war and causing a lot of bloodshed. These wars where members sought revenge were called ‘xie dou’, and are very similar to the Italian Mafia’s ‘vendetta’.</p>
<p>The Tiandihui made a lot of money by making new members. Each new member had to pay an entrance fee, subscription fees, and a tribute fee to his sponsor for introducing him into the Society. In certain provinces men also had to pay an extra fee on top of the normal fees to join. It is clear members enjoyed the security the Society brought, but it also became a wise career move when so much money could be made as a sponsor by introducing new members. Other money making operations the societies ran were: collecting rent from properties they owned, and loan sharking. With the ability to exercise a lot of power through its growing number of members the Tiandihui went from loan sharking to robbery. Nobody was safe. The Society robbed both civilians and members of rival Triad societies with the same ferocity. Because of this even more men joined the Tiandihui hoping it would keep them safe from robbery and attacks.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237117688,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237117688?profile=original" /></a><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Secret Societies and the Imperial Powers</strong></span></p>
<p>The secret societies have always posed a threat to the political powers of China. There have been numerous accounts of uprisings led by societies which had amassed a large enough following to undertake such an enormous task.</p>
<p>During the 1760s, Tiandihui leader Lu Mao ordered newly initiated members to rob an official warehouse and treasury, and the homes of the upper class. He told the would-be robbers that the loot would be used to organize an uprising against the Qing authorities. The Qing dynasty had come to power in 1644 and saw the criminal secret societies as a big problem. </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>This particular uprising by the Tiandihui was a failure, but the Qing authorities had had enough of these criminal secret societies that were committing crimes and were attacking the emperor. The army was ordered to eradicate the problem.</p>
<p>After a large-scale military operation, army commanders claimed they had suppressed the societies. They lied. The societies had grown in a such a dramatic way that it had become impossible to eradicate them. They had hundreds of thousands of members, entire villages were owned by the societies. And their power stretched across China into neighboring countries. The attack by the imperial army only caused the societies to go underground even more than before.</p>
<p>From this moment on the Tiandihui was deeply nestled in the underworld. Out of reach from the Qing dynasty, they became more and more involved in the criminal world. By the late eighteenth century opium had become the drug of choice, and thus a very interesting venture for any Triad member. Opium was illegal in China and was smuggled into the country by European and American traders. Triad members bought the opium from these traders and from there it went down the distribution ladder until it reached the drug addicts on the streets of China’s major cities and villages.</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>The secret societies had now made the transformation from benevolent organization to full blown criminal organization. The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a> were born. The name ‘Triad’ stems from the fact that members of these secret societies saw the world as a unity of the three main powers of nature: heaven, earth, and man. And their flags bore a triangle.</p>
<p>To this day the Triads use old rituals and traditions to maintain discipline within the organization and create an air of mythical powers around them. They even have their own story of how they were formed. This version is based on an uprising by elite monks. </p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The First Five Ancestors</strong></span></p>
<p>There are a lot of different Triad groups, which all have their own version of Triad history. Over the course of decades these versions have changed and adapted new themes. The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a> combine real historic events with Chinese folklore in order to create a very heroic story about their origins. This is all done to impress new members.</p>
<p>Their story starts in the seventeenth century during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty was crumbling, and a lot of officials were enriching themselves while the rest of the empire was starving. In 1644 the Ming dynasty fell when the Manchu forces defeated the imperial forces. The Manchus crowned Shun Chi as the first Manchu Qing emperor.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-golden-triangle-how-triads-cornered-the-heroin-market" target="_blank"><strong>The Golden Triangle: How Triads cornered the heroin market</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>During the reign of the second Qing emperor tribes from the state of Silu started an uprising. The Qing army was not equipped to deal with the rebels and called upon its emperor for reinforcements. The emperor started a recruiting campaign in which he offered men who joined his army and defeated the Silu rebels high honors, favors, and official employment.</p>
<p>At a Shao Lin monastery an assembly of monks decided to offer their services to the emperor. The monks had two reasons for helping out the emperor: They wanted to stop the invasion of foreign troops into China. And they wanted to put in use their knowledge of kung fu, which they had been practicing at the monastery. They hoped their martial arts abilities would lead other men to join their monastery.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237117899,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237117899?profile=original" /></a><em>Photo: The Great Wall of China</em></p>
<p>An elite force of 128 monks joined the imperial army in battle against the Silu and defeated them in three months. The monks were hailed as heroes and were offered their promised honors from the emperor. They declined his offers, saying they did their civic duty. A nephew of one of the monks, however, did accept the position of commander of the Qing garrison in the Wuchow district. He himself did not live in the monastery and was not bound by their rules.</p>
<p>The honors bestowed upon the Shao Lin monks caused certain Qing officials to become jealous. Wong Chun-mei, the grand secretary of the Qing council, began manipulating the emperor into believing the monks were about to start an uprising themselves. The emperor then ordered an attack on the Shao Lin monastery. Qing troops set fire to the monastery causing the deaths of 110 monks.</p>
<p>Eighteen monks survived but were presumed dead. These remaining eighteen monks fled the ruined monastery by walking down the burning hill on which it was situated. Once in a safe place, thirteen monks died from their wounds and lack of food.</p>
<p>The five surviving monks: Tsoi Tak-chung, Fong Tai-hung, Ma Chiu-hing, Wu Tak-tai, and Lee Shik-hoi, became the First Five Ancestors. These five men traveled the rugged lands of China and met up with several Ming loyalists who joined their cause and became known as the Second Five Ancestors. It was their cause to overthrow the Qing dynasty. The men formed several secret societies and used their army of men to fight against the Qing dynasty. This is how the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Triads</a> view their history.</p>
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Chinese woman laundered £1.8 million in drugs money for Albanian organized crime group in just two weeks
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/chinese-woman-laundered-1-8-million-in-drugs-money-for-albanian-o
2017-11-22T04:30:00.000Z
2017-11-22T04:30:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/chinese-woman-laundered-1-8-million-in-drugs-money-for-albanian-o" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237095499,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237095499?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>The biggest problem with ill-gotten gains is how to turn them into squeaky clean gotten gains. Because criminal money remains vulnerable to being confiscated by authorities, whereas money laundered clean has no way whatsoever of ever being touched by law enforcement as the recent Panama Papers leak has showed.</p>
<p>Of course, getting caught in the process of laundering these monies will get you – and your money - in trouble. <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=China" target="_blank">Chinese</a> money launderer Fen Chen knows this all too well. On Monday, she was sentenced to over 6 years in prison after being found guilty of laundering almost £2 million in criminal cash into <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=London" target="_blank">London</a> high street banks in a period of just two weeks.</p>
<p>32-year-old Chen and three others took bundles of bank notes into dozens of branches between 30 July and 15 August 2016. She was arrested by National Crime Agency officers shortly after accepting a bag containing more than £300,000 from Fation Koka, a 30-year-old who is a reputed member of an <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Albania" target="_blank">Albanian organized crime group</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Read: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/albanian-organized-crime-gangs-are-taking-increasing-control-over" target="_blank">Albanian gangs taking increasing control over Europe's drug markets</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Koka previously admitted two counts of money laundering and was jailed for 21 months. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence.</p>
<p>After Fen’s arrest, another £180,000 cash was discovered in bags and hiding places at her flat, along with bank slips detailing hundreds of deposits totaling £1.8 million. A cash counting machine was found in another room.</p>
<p>NCA officers found text messages on Chen’s and Koka’s phones that showed another cash handover happened in the same car park on 31 July 2016. That time, Chen was out of the country and instead sent representatives to collect the money.</p>
<p>“Fen Chen was a prolific <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Money" target="_blank">money launderer</a>, able to process millions of pounds in cash in a very short period of time,” NCA operations manager Kevin Gee said. “[She] was caught red handed in possession of around £300,000 belonging to an Albanian <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Drugs" target="_blank">drugs</a> gang.”</p>
<p>He continued, “Organized crime groups rely on money launderers like Chen, who play an integral part in allowing them to benefit from and re-invest their criminal profits. Taking money launderers out of the chain, as we have done here, makes life far more difficult and riskier for crooks trying to clean their dirty cash.”</p>
<p>Investigators obtained CCTV bank footage showing Chen, Lin and others deposited cash in smaller amounts to avoid suspicion. You can watch the video below:</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BpZbu6448lg?wmode=opaque" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
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How organized crime continues to dominate the prostitution business, despite legalization efforts
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/how-organized-crime-continues-to-dominate-the-prostitution-busine
2017-10-18T16:25:34.000Z
2017-10-18T16:25:34.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-organized-crime-continues-to-dominate-the-prostitution-busine" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237100265,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237100265?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Prostitution is one of the oldest professions in the world. It’s also one of the dirtiest, with misery accompanying the victims as they sell their bodies for cash. This leaves authorities with a problem: How to deal with the business and its criminal ties? Solutions abound, but organized crime remains close by.</p>
<p>To combat the pimps that keep prostitutes in a stranglehold, authorities in various countries have opted to try and provide sex workers with an environment designed to keep them away from gangs and groups of colleagues that might be under control of criminals.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>RED-LIGHT DISTRICT</strong></span></p>
<p>For instance, in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Netherlands" target="_blank">the Netherlands</a>, a country known for both its liberal views on sex and prostitution and its infamous Red-Light Districts, municipal governments offer prostitutes separate rooms they can rent in their own name. Authorities hoped that this emancipation would ensure that organized crime and pimps would be blocked from being able to participate in the exploitation of these women.</p>
<p>It turned out to be a grave mistake. Most of these <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Prostitution" target="_blank">prostitutes</a> are mentally broken down by their pimps or crime groups. They are degraded and made to obey their bosses. When these women have shown they are dependable they are put to work. At that point, it doesn’t matter if the woman has to apply for a room by herself. Her mind is held hostage and the physical presence of her pimp is no longer needed to keep her under control.</p>
<p>Each year, around 3,000 women – including 1,320 underage girls - are forced into prostitution against their will, according to an <a href="https://www.nationaalrapporteur.nl/actueel/2017/minderjarige-meisjes-vaker-slachtoffer-van-seksuele-uitbuiting-dan-gedacht.aspx" target="_blank">official report</a> by the Dutch government in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which was released today. </p>
<p>Not exactly a sign of success. But at least governments are trying to find a solution to an age-old problem. Though one could ask whether they truly are doing so or whether they are merely going through the motions, destined to fail.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4"><strong>HOOKER IN TROUBLE? HERE COMES THE CHINESE MAFIA</strong></span></p>
<p>In Hong Kong, sex workers are also offered their own workspace, since organized prostitution – such as brothels and a red-light district - are illegal there. In a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-hong-kongs-high-rise-houses-of-prostitution-whos-really-in-charge" target="_blank">detailed piece</a> on <em>The Daily Beast</em>, Viola Gaskell writes about visiting the Fuji Building, a skyscraper in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district, which offers 18 floors of so-called “one-woman brothels.”</p>
<p>“The ubiquity of prostitution in Hong Kong is a result of its legality under the rule of ‘one woman, one room,’ meaning there are to be no brothels and no pimps—literally one woman, and one room,” Gaskell <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-hong-kongs-high-rise-houses-of-prostitution-whos-really-in-charge" target="_blank">writes</a>. “There are myriad ways the laws are skirted, from massage establishments with unadvertised services, to bars where honorary female employees have rather fluid roles, to put it lightly.”</p>
<p>Indeed, when it comes to prostitution it seems no matter how hard governments try to offer up a legitimate environment, the seedy underworld continues to find a way in. Surprisingly enough, in both Hong Kong and the Netherlands, this is – in part – due to mistakes made by said authorities.</p>
<p>Despite them trying to make prostitution a legitimate business in terms of the law, prostitutes continue to be treated as criminals wherever they go. In the Netherlands, one example of this is if they want to start a bank account for their business, they are not able to do so. This is why, in part, legalization in the Netherlands remains an abstract concept when it comes to the sex business.</p>
<p>Similar problems arise in Hong Kong, as Gaskell <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-hong-kongs-high-rise-houses-of-prostitution-whos-really-in-charge" target="_blank">writes</a>, “Sex workers routinely seem to prefer working with <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">the triads</a>—a <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Hong Kong crime syndicate</a>, though they are often involved in perfectly legal business operations as well—over the police. ‘If they are associated with a triad and a customer doesn’t pay them or abuses them in any way, the triad will really do something about it when the police may not, and if they are here illegally, they risk no danger of deportation.’”</p>
<p>Talk about getting fucked.</p>
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China sends crime boss and 66 members of mob-style syndicate to prison
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/china-sends-crime-boss-and-66-members-of-mob-style-syndicate-to-p
2017-01-02T15:41:36.000Z
2017-01-02T15:41:36.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/china-sends-crime-boss-and-66-members-of-mob-style-syndicate-to-p"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237083069,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237083069?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By Gangsters Inc. Editors</p>
<p>The leader and 66 members of a crime syndicate in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui were sentenced to time in prison on Sunday, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=China">China</a>’s news agency Xinhua reported. The group was involved in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Extortion">extortion</a>, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Gambling">gambling</a>, and violence, the court verdict read.</p>
<p>According to Chinese authorities, the syndicate was led by 37-year-old Xing Zhaogang, who did time for assault, but was released from prison in 2012. Over a period of little over six months, his gambling operations brought in $2.9 million in profits. In order to protect his business, Xing regularly used violent force to intimidate and take out rivals.</p>
<p>After a trial, Xing was found guilty of running a “<a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">mafia-style gang</a>” and using violence against his rivals. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. His 66 underlings were handed sentences ranging from several months to 14 years.</p>
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Hong Kong Triad boss arrested in US$129 million fraud case
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triad-boss-arrested-in-us-129-million-fraud-case
2016-07-23T10:11:46.000Z
2016-07-23T10:11:46.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/hong-kong-triad-boss-arrested-in-us-129-million-fraud-case"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237073264,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237073264?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Triad leader Kwok Wing-hung has been arrested at Hong Kong airport Thursday after arriving from Thailand. He is charged with conspiracy to commit criminal intimidation, conspiracy to wound with intent, and conspiracy to blackmail.</p>
<p>Police believe the 58-year-old crime boss had conspired with a retired Hong Kong senior superintendent to steal a large sum of money and conspire to commit fraud in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Macau">Macau</a>, involving up to HK$1 billion (almost $129 million U.S. dollars.) The Macau Judiciary Police is still investigating the case.</p>
<p>Kwok Wing-hung, nicknamed "Shanghai Boy,” is an alleged <em>dragon head</em> in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Wo Shing Wo Triad</a>, part of the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Wo group</a>, and one of Hong Kong’s biggest <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Triads">Triads</a>.</p>
<p>He made headlines around the world several months ago after he was punched in the face at Hong Kong’s most famous five-star Peninsula Hotel. He was also suspected by police of involvement in the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bloody-knife-attacks-as-triad-gangs-go-to-war-in-hong-kong">bloody slashing of three people</a> at the Yau Yim Kee fruit store as some sort of retaliation for the hotel beating.</p>
<p>After the hotel incident, “Shanghai Boy’ disappeared for seven months, while police placed him on their wanted list. He popped up in Japan in March where he did an interview with a Hong Kong magazine in which he claimed he wasn’t fleeing, but merely traveling.</p>
<p>And traveling he did, ending up in Phuket, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Thailand">Thailand</a>, before flying back home to Hong Kong where he now has to face criminal charges in the court of law.</p>
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The Golden Triangle: How Triads cornered the heroin market
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-golden-triangle-how-triads-cornered-the-heroin-market
2016-06-16T11:08:42.000Z
2016-06-16T11:08:42.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-golden-triangle-how-triads-cornered-the-heroin-market"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237068283,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237068283?profile=original" width="520" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Whether it’s human beings, counterfeit products or drugs, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triads</a> are experts in smuggling the goods from point A to point B. During the 1950s and 1960s, they became masters at flooding Europe and North America with heroin.</p>
<p>With a purity of 90 percent their heroin was of superior quality compared to anything their competitors put out on the streets. It showed in the pricing as it became one of the most expensive drugs out there. Known as ‘China White,’ it became an instant best-seller.</p>
<p>China White heroin was grown in the so called Golden Triangle in South-East Asia, a rugged area of 150,000 square miles. Farmers have huge fields where they grow the opium poppy. Each year the opium is harvested from the end of December to the beginning of March. The farmers then sell their crop to the army, or middlemen, who pay them in cash or goods, like clothing and food.</p>
<p>Several countries are part of this heroin triangle, namely the western fringe of Laos, the four northern provinces of Thailand, and Burma, now known as Myanmar. During the 1970s an estimated 70 percent of the world's heroin came from here. And Triads were involved in getting it from South-East Asia to the backstreets of New York, London, and Amsterdam.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Triads">Triads</a> could fall back on their roots when it came to making contact with heroin suppliers. When president Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese forces were defeated, two of his armies that were stationed in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan fled into the Shan States of northern Burma. There they found farmers with Chinese roots dating back three thousand years growing and harvesting the opium poppy.</p>
<p>With <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-shanghai-triad-boss-du-yueh-sheng">Chiang Kai-shek</a>'s former army controlling the growth of opium in Burma, and Triad groups in Hong Kong looking for a good supplier, the contact was easily made. The middlemen would smuggle the raw opium to refineries in Burma near the border with Thailand, there the opium was converted into morphine. As morphine the opium package was reduced to one tenth of its original bulk.</p>
<p>From these refineries it is smuggled into Thailand, which is used as go-between because of its large port in Bangkok from where large drug shipments could be sent to anywhere in the world. But before the shipments are sent, a deal has to be made between supplier and buyer.</p>
<p>These deals were made in Thailand's second largest city Chiang Mai, which is situated over 400 miles north of Bangkok. Back in the 1970s Chiang Mai was known to be a popular tourist destination, but, unbeknownst to the public, it was also a favorite among drug traffickers looking to set up a deal, or those on the run from authorities. Many Chinese traffickers would eventually settle in Thailand, and even traded their Chinese name for a Thai one.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Heroin">heroin business</a> remains booming. The Golden Triangle is second only to Afghanistan when it comes to producing opium. Thanks to globalization and a crackdown by law enforcement, the <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Triads">Triads</a> are no longer the most dominant players on the market. Plenty of other parties have joined the fray.</p>
<p>As a result, China White still is a household name on many a street corner in a long list of countries far removed from the Golden Triangle.</p>
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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
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<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>
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The deadly battle for control over New York’s Chinatown
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-deadly-battle-for-control-over-new-york-s-chinatown
2016-04-29T09:33:43.000Z
2016-04-29T09:33:43.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-deadly-battle-for-control-over-new-york-s-chinatown"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237062895,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237062895?profile=original" width="500" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>New York City is a booming business for those who rule over it. For over a century, the Italian American Mafia’s five families of La Cosa Nostra ruled its boroughs with an iron fist. Yet, by the 1990s, the mob’s power had dwindled giving other groups a chance at their own piece of this lucrative pie.</p>
<p>New York's Chinatown has become a favorite among tourists. With scores of Chinese immigrants settling in the Big Apple every year, Chinatown expanded rapidly. Currently it is even larger than the famous <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/organized-crime-in">Little Italy</a>. During the late 1980s to the mid-nineties, the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association was the city’s most prominent Tong, an organization consisting of Chinese immigrants looking out for the area’s businessmen and shopkeepers. But as with most of these organizations they mostly looked out for their own, using the Tong as nothing but a front for their true business: <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">organized crime</a>.</p>
<p>The On Leong Tong was no different then, using a gang named the Ghost Shadows as muscle and protection. For over a decade the Ghost Shadows terrorized New York. According to the FBI, 75 percent of all businesses in Chinatown paid them extortion money. They also ran betting parlors and had a scheme going where they scammed 300 Asian investors out of $10 million.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237063075,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237063075?profile=original" width="225" /></a>The main power behind the On Leong Tong and Ghost Shadows gang was Wing Yeung Chan, a fifty-year-old who favored slacks and sports jackets, and shunned ties. From looking at him, you would not believe he was the man in charge of <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Chinese organized crime</a> in New York, but people on the street knew who he was and what he stood for.</p>
<p>Chan (right) arrived in New York as a young man, starting out working a job as a clerk in a grocery store. His second job, sweeping the floor at a Chinese gambling parlor, became his introduction into the Chinese underworld. Pretty soon he was one of the most powerful men in Chinatown as leader of the Ghost Shadows gang.</p>
<p>His younger brother Wing Lok served as his street boss, dealing directly with the men responsible for the killings and beatings. Lok, unlike his older brother, was flashy. He liked fancy cars, beautiful women, and had a lust for booze. A third brother, Wing Wah, was in charge of all the gambling operations. To make the family affair complete, a fourth brother supplied the Ghost Shadows with guns. All brothers made a good living off of their criminal deeds. Chan owned a condo in the trendy Tribeca neighborhood of New York, while Wing Lok lived in a $2,225-a-month East Side apartment.</p>
<p>New York's Asian communities are rife with Asian street gangs. Its members all coming from different parts of China or Asia. Some of the gangs had connections with Tongs, while others were strictly out for themselves. During the 1990s the most important gangs were: the Chinese Ghost Shadows, Flying Dragons, Tung On, Fuk Ching, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/green-dragons-gangster-has-life-sentence-reduced">Green Dragons</a>, White Tigers, Hung Ching, the Taiwan Brotherhood, and the Vietnamese Born-To-Kill gang.</p>
<p>All these gangs were fighting for their piece of the city rackets and things got violent quickly and often. One incident involved Chan's brother Wing Lok. In January 1992, during a night out at the Triple 8 nightclub, while he was enjoying some drinks and the women that flock to men of his stature, members of the rival Tung On gang attacked him and beat him to a bloody pulp.</p>
<p>Busted up, Lok knew he needed to safe face. He did so a few days later when he killed a Tung On gang member on East Broadway. A tit for tat war erupted. The Tung On avenged their loss by opening fire inside a pool-hall in a shooting that left an innocent bystander dead and authorities in shock.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the violence continued, this time involving other gangs as well. On July 12, 1992 members of the Ghost Shadows beat and robbed Shui Bao, the leader of the rival Flying Dragons. A week later, the Ghost Shadows went to a meeting where things were to be handled in a civilized matter, yet it didn’t go that way. Instead, it ended in a blood bath.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237063088,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237063088?profile=original" width="183" /></a>Shui Bao had lost so much respect after the beating that he had to retaliate immediately or he would lose all credibility as a gang leader. When Wing Yeung Chan (right), Wing Lok Chan, and six other Ghost Shadow members arrived, they were met by twenty Flying Dragon members with knives and guns. One Ghost Shadow was shot to death, while Wing Lok barely made it out alive after being stabbed.</p>
<p>The constant beatings, stabbings, and frequent murders brought a lot of heat from law enforcement and by the mid-nineties the entire leadership of both the Ghost Shadows and the Tung On was in prison. Wing Yeung Chan and his brother Wing Lok both agreed to testify against their underlings in return for a second chance at life outside prison.</p>
<p>After their departure from the scene they were replaced by others. With a steady influx of Chinese immigrants there is never a shortage of fresh recruits. Though the extreme violence of the 1990s has died down, the rackets remain and those in control continue making copious amounts of money plying their illegal trade.</p>
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Profile: Shanghai Triad boss Du Yueh-sheng
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-shanghai-triad-boss-du-yueh-sheng
2016-04-29T07:00:00.000Z
2016-04-29T07:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-shanghai-triad-boss-du-yeuh-sheng"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237061887,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237061887?profile=original" width="350" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Du Yueh-sheng was one of the most important crime bosses in Shanghai during the 1900s. A man who came up as a tough street kid known for violence and eventually wound up running a string of opium dens throughout the Chinese city.</p>
<p>For obvious reasons, he was given the nickname “Big-eared Du.” Born at the end of the 1880s, Du quickly made his presence known. As a teenager, he became a member of the Red Gang and befriended Huang Chih-jung, also known as “Pockmarked Huang,” who was arguably the most powerful crime boss in Shanghai at the time and heavily involved in the opium trade. After Du helped him get back a stolen package of raw opium, Pockmarked Huang made him his main opium runner.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237062454,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237062454?profile=original" width="329" /></a>Still only in his late teens, Du had made a fierce reputation for violence as he was known for his involvement in contract killings. When he was 21, Du controlled a large chunk of the opium dens in Shanghai and operated a loansharking business with a clientele consisting of local shopkeepers and rich foreign businessmen.</p>
<p>His success didn’t go by unnoticed. <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Triad</a> bosses promoted Du to the position of Red Pole. As a Red Pole, he had the total trust of his boss Huang, which he used to his advantage by proposing a plan to combine the opium operations of the three main Shanghai gangs. Those three gangs were Huang’s Red Gang, the Green Gang, and the Blue Gang. Huang saw advantages of each gang operating as one and gave Du permission to go ahead with his plan.</p>
<p>First Du approached the Green Gang leader and explained his plan. The Green Gang leader was wary of the idea and refused to take part, causing Du to simply murder him and take over as Green Gang leader. When he went to see the leader of the Blue Gang things went a lot smoother and the formation of an opium cartel was made final.</p>
<p>With Huang as his Shan Chu, or boss, Du expanded their criminal empire by incorporating several other Triads and criminal gangs into the Green Gang. As Huang’s deputy, or Fu Shan Chu, Du accumulated enormous wealth. At the age of 30, his personal fortune was estimated to be around $40 million.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237062862,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237062862?profile=original" width="171" /></a>He was connected to criminals and important politicians and businessmen. He either befriended or threatened those he could use to further his criminal business. His most important associate was Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang met Du as a young man and, using Du’s enormous wealth and military strength, would become president of the Republic of China.</p>
<p>As president Chiang returned the favor by appointing Du as government adviser - both men pictured on photo, Du on the right, Chiang on the right. Later he even put him in charge of the National Opium Suppression Committee, which essentially meant Du was policing himself. It goes without saying that Du never placed himself or his underlings in handcuffs.</p>
<p>During the Second World War, Du fled to Hong Kong where he continued running his criminal empire. However, the years of opium use combined with his old age were beginning to weaken his grip. He lived out his final days in exile in Hong Kong where he died on August 16, 1951.</p>
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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.
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<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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San Francisco Triad boss Chow guilty on all charges
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/san-francisco-triad-boss-raymond-chow-guilty-on-all-charges
2016-01-09T12:00:00.000Z
2016-01-09T12:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/san-francisco-triad-boss-raymond-chow-guilty-on-all-charges"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237042055,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237042055?profile=original" width="256" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, the 56-year-old crime boss who ruled San Francisco’s Chinatown, was found guilty of murder, racketeering, and conspiracy to murder yesterday. He faces life in prison when he is sentenced on March 23. Chow was among 29 people, including a former California state senator, busted in an undercover operation by the FBI targeting the Ghee Kung Tong.</p>
<p>The FBI had one of its agents pose as an Italian American mobster in order to get close to Chow and get him involved in criminal dealings. This proved more difficult than the bureau at first had imagined. Chow claimed he had said farewell to his life of crime after his release from prison in 2003.</p>
<p>One would tend to believe him. He was released because he had agreed to testify against his own boss, <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-peter-chong">Peter Chong</a>, after both men had been rounded up in a large-scale nationwide Triad bust. Usually, criminals who testify against their former colleagues do not go back to their old haunts.</p>
<p>Chow, however, went straight back to San Francisco’s Chinatown and quickly emerged as the new – very public - leader of the Ghee Kung Tong, the city’s premier Triad organization, after its former leader was gunned down in his office by a masked gunman.</p>
<p>The FBI took notice and began plotting a takedown. Gangsters Inc. reveals all the ins and outs of this investigation, as well as Chow’s life, in <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-rat-who-became-king-triad-boss-raymond-chow">The Rat who became King: Triad boss Raymond Chow</a>.</p>
<p>In a weird twist of irony, Chow’s lawyer condemned the guilty verdict, claiming that “this trial was based on testimony of five snitches that no rational human being would believe or extend credibility to.”</p>
<p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-peter-chong">Peter Chong</a> would no doubt call it karma.</p>
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Chinese network of people smugglers dismantled in Spain
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/chinese-network-of-people-smugglers-dismantled-in-spain
2015-10-12T09:46:22.000Z
2015-10-12T09:46:22.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GangstersInc" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237047666,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237047666?profile=original" width="320" /></a>David Amoruso </p>
<p>Spanish National Police arrested 89 people in a coordinated operation targeting a <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview">Chinese organized crime</a> group specialized in smuggling people into Spain, as a transit country on the way to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the United States by using forged identity documents or travel documents belonging to someone else.</p>
<p>Four property searches were carried out simultaneously in Barcelona. During the searches, 116 forged passports, 9 mobile phones, 71 SIM cards, 3 laptops, 4 tablet computers, 4 external hard drives and €4,000 were found and seized.</p>
<p>These actions are the culmination of Operation TIJA, an investigation by the Spanish police with support from Europol and other European law enforcement agencies.</p>
<p>The investigation began in June 2013, after several Chinese citizens had attempted to enter Spain by using forged passports or passports that belonged to other individuals. The documents found were from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.</p>
<p>After a preliminary investigation, Spanish law enforcement officers uncovered a very active organized group of Chinese and Pakistani criminals based in Barcelona. Having first smuggled the migrants into Spain, the facilitators lodged them in safe houses until the next stage of the journey was arranged (booking the flight, receiving the travel documents from China). Once in Spain, the migrants were provided with various options to illegally enter their favored destination country: land routes through Turkey and Greece, direct or indirect flights, and ferries.</p>
<p>The average cost of the journey was €20,000. The migrants had to pay half up front before starting the journey, and the remaining half after arriving at the destination. If the migrants failed to pay the fee, the criminals would keep their genuine travel documents and would extort their families in China. A common practice among people smugglers the world over.</p>
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Undercover FBI agents share for first time how they took down international cigarette smuggling ring
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/undercover-fbi-agents-share-for-first-time-how-they-took-down-int
2014-05-28T19:00:00.000Z
2014-05-28T19:00:00.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/undercover-fbi-agents-share-for-first-time-how-they-took-down-int" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237116884,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237116884?profile=original" width="600" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>Smuggling is a lucrative business. Always has, always will be. And where there’s smugglers, there’s cops trying to take them down. Undercover FBI agents Lou Calvarese, Jack Garcia, and Tom Zyckowski now share their story of how they infiltrated and took down a Chinese smuggling ring responsible for trafficking over a billion fake <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=Cigarette" target="_blank">cigarettes</a>.</p>
<p>“Over the course of some 1,000 meetings, their investigation — dubbed “Operation Royal Charm” — would pull the agents deep into a tangled <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triads-overview" target="_blank">Chinese underworld</a> spanning coasts and continents. Together with a parallel <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=California" target="_blank">California</a> case, “Operation Smoking Dragon,” the twin investigations would result in 10 indictments, with 87 individuals charged, mostly ethnic Chinese,” journalist Te-Ping Chen writes in <a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/2008/10/20/6358/smoking-dragon-royal-charm" target="_blank">his article</a> for investigative news organization The Center for Public Integrity.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ:</strong> <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gangsters-inc-sits-down-with-fbi-agent-jack-garcia" target="_blank"><strong>Gangsters Inc. sits down with undercover FBI agent Jack Garcia</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Peng sat down with all three (retired) <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=FBI" target="_blank">FBI</a> agents as they talk him through their successful investigation. “We really got to see a network of cigarette smugglers up close,” <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gangsters-inc-sits-down-with-fbi-agent-jack-garcia" target="_blank">Joaquin Garcia</a> tells him. “It’s sophisticated, the way it works. And these guys are like hookers. There’s a lot of them.”</p>
<p><strong><em>You can read the full story at</em></strong> <a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/2008/10/20/6358/smoking-dragon-royal-charm" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Center for Public Integrity</em></strong></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
Gangsters Inc.
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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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Chinese gangster loses phone, we invade his privacy
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/chinese-gangster-loses-phone-we-invade-his-privacy
2012-03-26T12:30:00.000Z
2012-03-26T12:30:00.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/chinese-gangster-loses-phone-we-invade-his-privacy"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237066680,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237066680?profile=original" width="400" /></a>By David Amoruso</p>
<p>It’s never fun when you lose your cell phone. No one can reach you, you can’t reach anyone. Worse: All your dick pics and various other shameful photos and data are lying around somewhere waiting for some stranger to take a peek at them. Imagine if you were a gangster living the high life, spending bricks of cash, driving expensive cars, and torturing some people. Yeah, you wouldn’t want to lose that phone!</p>
<p>Yet, that is exactly what happened to some <em>poor</em> Chinese gangster from an unknown location. He lost his cell phone and in the process he lost his privacy when several incriminating photos were posted online showing him flaunting his wealth and abusing a victim.</p>
<p>Here are the photos:</p>
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Mama San: Godmother of the Chinese Underworld
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/mama-san-godmother-of-the-chinese-underworld
2012-01-22T16:51:04.000Z
2012-01-22T16:51:04.000Z
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<div><p><a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mama-san-godmother-of-the-chinese-underworld"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237007870,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237007870?profile=original" width="379" /></a><strong>Special to Gangsters Inc.</strong></p>
<p><strong>This is an excerpt from the new book, Queenpins: Notorious Women Gangsters from the Modern Era</strong></p>
<p>The book is published by Strategic Media Books (<a href="http://www.strategicmediabooks.com">www.strategicmediabooks.com</a>) and is available from the web site, Amazon.com and other publishing outlets.</p>
<p><strong>Mama San: Godmother of the Chinese Underworld</strong></p>
<p>By Ron Chepesiuk</p>
<p>In 1997, the central government of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) central government ordered that a huge area adjacent to the city of Chongqing be incorporated into the city, and. Chongqing became the word’s largest metropolis with a population of 34 million. Since then, Chongqing has garnered a reputation as also being one of the world’s most corrupt cities. So disturbing, in fact, has been the corruption that Chinese authorities ordered a crackdown on Chongqing’s organized crime syndicates in June 2009. Indeed, it was the largest anti-corruption operation in the PRC since its founding in 1949.</p>
<p>Revelations about Chongqing’s underworld, especially the activities of queen pin Xie Caiping, both shocked and titillated the Chinese public. Xie’s trial revealed lurid details about sex and lifestyles and showed how deeply organized crime had infiltrated public life in China.</p>
<p>The high profile anti corruption campaign began in February 2008, when Cao Jianming, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procturatorate, publicly expressed the Chinese government’s determination to crack down on organized crime. “The overall number of criminal cases keeps growing, demanding new efforts in maintaining social stability and harmony,” Cao revealed. “We must handle all criminal cases endangering national security and social stability with an iron fist. Efforts should be made to resolve conflicts and disputes in a way they could be nipped in the bud early.”</p>
<p>The New York Times agreed that the PRC had a big problem. “The CPC (the Chinese Communist Party) has been confronting many crises, but as a party, it is sandwiched by the two most serious challenges, corruption and crime,” the newspaper wrote. It noted that while stability and order has been a top priority of the ruling elite, for the past three decades crime in China has grown much faster than its economic development.</p>
<p>It is difficult to fathom the idea that China could have an organized crime problem, given the authoritarian nature of the state, but China watchers generally agree that corruption forms the most formidable threat to China’s future. One official has called the country’s ruling body “one of the most corrupt organizations the world has ever witnessed.” Meanwhile, economists have revealed that theft, bribery, kickbacks and misuse of political funds cost the state at least 3 percent of its GDP annually.</p>
<p>In China and Chinese communities worldwide, organized crime syndicates are known as Triads and they have a history that extends hundreds of years in time. The Triads have an international presence, with members in nearly every country of the world. Their strongest presence, however, is in China, the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Like the Japanese Yakuza and the Italian Mafia, the Triads have well-organized initiation ceremonies and are involved in a wide array of criminal activities, from illegal gambling and human trafficking to murder and prostitution. In Chongqing, the Triad gangsters operate as well in a variety of legal businesses, such as the wholesale sea food trade, the private bus network, the taxi business and the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>Many of the Triad godfathers began their criminal careers in Chongqing, where the city’s top party leaders and government officials protected them for at least two decades. Corruption had been so entrenched in Chongqing that it took a directive from the highest level decision-making body in the PRC before enough law-enforcement resources could be mobilized to combat organized crime.</p>
<p>The anti corruption campaign was led by the popular and charismatic Chinese Bo Xilai, the Communist Party secretary from 2007. Prior to the crackdown, Bo had repeatedly warned that the corruption threatened the CPC’s legitimacy and public confidence in the political system.</p>
<p>Xilai is the son of Bo Yibo, an economic planner and one-time ally of the supreme leader Deng Xiaoping. In the 1990s, Bo was mayor of Dailian in northeastern Liaoning province before moving to Beijing in 2004 to become the nation’s commerce secretary. In 2007 Bo was appointed party secretary of the booming municipality of Chongqing. The appointment was considered a promotion but many thought it was actually a sideways step. So Bo had to do something to bring himself back into the political spotlight, many China watchers concluded. Hence, the anti corruption campaign. By 2009, as his anti corruption campaign had gained momentum, Bo was being talked about as the future of the party. He had become a political star and a highly popular figure in Chongqing.</p>
<p>“He is trying to perform his way back to Beijing,” Huang Jing, a professor at the National University of Singapore said. “It is a well calculated but risky gamble to get into the 5th generation (post 2012) leadership.”</p>
<p>Bo publicly acknowledged the risk of a campaign that gave him a high profile and took on some of his city’s most powerful political interests. But news reports indicated that Bo’s crusade had the support and encouragement of the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party.</p>
<p>And so the crackdown began in June 2009 when the Chongqing authorities began raiding the city’s illegal gambling dens. Initially, the force involved 3,000 police, but the number eventually swelled to 25,000. The city police where re-assigned from their regular beat in order to break up any patronage that might have formed between the police and the Triads or corrupt officials.</p>
<p>By November, 2009, the dragnet had netted more than 1544 suspects, including some of the city’s most prominent businessmen and high ranking public officials. Bo’s aggressive campaign, however, soon drew criticism. He was criticized for his style and personality. In April 2010, Asia Times assessed that “Bo, who trained as a journalist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, had created a personality cult in Chongqing that some critics say harbors back to Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976). He has even claimed Mao as his spiritual mentor.”</p>
<p>He was also accused of using questionable methods to get convictions. Lawyers for the defense claimed that they had not been allowed proper access to their clients, and that their clients had been tortured. Bo drew the wrath of the Chongqing legal community when he arrested Li Zhuang, a lawyer who was representing one of the Chongqing gangsters in the corruption trials. Li was accused of encouraging his client to lie, but Li claimed in court that police tortured him. It was to no avail. He received an 18-month prison sentence. Mo Shaoping, China’s most prominent human rights lawyer, charged that the case “is a devastating blow for all lawyers. It is the basic problem that political might supersedes law and the rules.”</p>
<p>Included in the arrests was 46-year old queen pin Xie Caiping, perhaps the city’s most notorious gangster. Despite being the city’s only female gang boss, Xie, who is nicknamed the “Mama San” of Chinese crime, was described as fitting the image of the tough, dangerous and hard bitten gangster. One associate described her as “being good at debating and drinking and very helpful to friends.”</p>
<p>Given the tight control the Chinese authorities exhibited, the kinds of details that came out about Mama San and her activities were remarkable. Her trial exposed her incredible criminal career and the extent of the corruption in Chongqing. It also revealed her life of decadence excesses, depravity and sexual indulgence. So outrageous were the revelations that the court took on a circus-like atmosphere, as Chinese citizens flocked to the court to hear about the queen pin’s salacious exploits.</p>
<p>A native of Chongqing’s Ba-nan district, Xie organized a group of mobsters and ex-convicts who helped her establish an estimated 20 illegal gambling casinos, which generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal profits before the crackdown. One of the gambling houses was right across the street from the courthouse. Many of her casinos provided free gifts to attract customers, while one illegal casino required customers to play with a minimum stake of $1,300 in local currency. At her trial Xie, denied organizing and paying gangsters and claimed the regulations she set for her clubs were “game rules,” not “rules of the gang”</p>
<p>The queen pin employed a security force that kept an eye out for possible raids and operated like a legitimate police force. So even the police were not safe from Xie’s displeasure. The queen pin’s security once caught one police man named Xie Yingkuang, who was working undercover investigating Xie’s gambling dens. In August, 2006, Xie’s security exposed Yingkuang’s cover. After being held for about twenty-five hours, Yingkuang was stuffed in a gunny bag and left in the wilds, many kilometers away from Chongqing.</p>
<p>On at least one occasion, Xie detained a police officer whom she claimed was a “thief from the outside.” Xie was also said to have thugs beat up businessmen and women when they didn’t agree to turn their establishments into casinos. The queen pin’s treatment of informants was brutal. One of Xie’s victims claimed at her trial that Xie ordered her subordinates to find out who reported to the police and then cut their hands and legs.</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9237008076,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237008076,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9237008076?profile=original" width="149" /></a>Xie (right) used her wealth to live a lavish and decadent life style. She drove a Mercedes Benz, owned several luxury villas and kept a stable of 16 young men who provided her with sexual services. Xie tried to claim in court that she co-habitated with just one man: her driver, Luo Xuan, who was 20 years younger than her.</p>
<p>Xie’s wealth and power allowed her to operate with impunity, and she was able to buy protection from the corrupt Chongqing establishment. For years, she was protected by her brother-in-law Wan Quiang, who until his arrest in June 2009 was the city’s long-serving deputy police chief. During his tenure as a Chongqing’s legal official and police chief, Wen was so busy acquiring the accoutrements of power that law and order in the city deteriorated. More than 640,000 criminal cases remained unsolved and 1,447 murders were not investigated. As the highest police official on trial, Wen’s crimes were deemed so serious that he faced the death penalty if convicted.</p>
<p>The government had shown it to be deadly serious about the corruption campaign. At least seven people were executed in trials preceding Wen’s. In 2000 a vice governor of Jiangai province was executed for taking $650,000 in bribes. Four years later, a former vice governor of Anhui province was put to death for taking bribes worth a little over $620,000. Both of these vice governors were accused of stealing less than half the amount that Wen was accused of stealing. Then the day after Wen’s trial started, Yue Cun, a police official, was sentenced to death. Ironically, Caiping, Wen’s most powerful gangster ally, did not face the same potential sentence he did.</p>
<p>Wen may have just been a public official, but the place he lived in was described as “palatial-like” with a two meter tall ivory screen at its entrance and at least one hanging light with crystal worth more than 100,000 yuan ($17,000) in his living room. One investigator told the court, “I knew it (Wen’s house) would be grand, but I never thought it would be that grand. We have retrieved a truckload of up-market luxury goods from Wen’s house.”</p>
<p>Wen was arrested and charged, but at his trial he denied protecting gangsters, claiming he knew nothing about what was going on in the casinos. Wen’s lawyers even described the money he received from the others associated with the illegal venues as “gifts of relations,” and Wen claimed he thought he was dealing with “businessmen.”</p>
<p>Still the prosecution was able to prove that between 2003 and 2008, Wen received 786,000 yuan from mobsters, and that from 1996 to 2009 he received more than 15 million yuan ($2.2 million) in bribes from 19 organizations and individuals. Prosecutors were able to bolster their case when the authorities found $3 million worth of yuan buried beneath a fish pond on his property. The bounty received from payoffs included 181 bottles of choice wine, 80 pieces of jewelry and watches, 36 fine arts, nine cultural relics and 69 rolls of printings. Wen had a particular liking for Louis Vuitton belts and fossilized dinosaur eggs.</p>
<p>Wen was grilled on the witness stand for 70 minutes about the property. He claimed they were gifts he received on his birthday and other special occasions. “That’s normal etiquette and should not be considered bribery. “Wen argued on the witness stand. Prosecutors concluded that at the end of the day Wen and his family could legally explain no more then 4 million yuan ($680,000) of the property they received.<br /> In testifying, Wen also tried to explain away his relationship with sister-in-law Xie Caiping. He claimed they were actually on bad terms; in fact, they did not even talk to each other. But prosecutors presented evidence that Xie often fled just before a police raid, sometimes with suitcase full of money, after Wen had tipped her off.</p>
<p>Given his power, Wen was use to taking what he wanted, especially women. He also had numerous affairs with all types of women, from college students to singers. The disgraced public official was also accused and later convicted of raping a university student in 2007 and 2008.</p>
<p>Wen’s enormous sexual appetite helped bring him down. Fed up and in an effort to save herself, Wen’s wife turned against him. The wife told investigators that from January to August of 2009 he was only home seven nights and each time he was drunk. Pouring it on for the prosecutors, Mrs. Wen gave her assessment of who was the most affectionate person in her family’s household: the son, the dog and her husband—in that order. The prosecutors were unimpressed. The wife was charged along with her husband.</p>
<p>By the time Xie and Wen got to stand trial, nearly 6,000 Chinese officials had been charged with corruption. Wen was found guilty in May 2010 and Xie in November 2009. During her trial, Xie’s behavior did little please the court, and her profanity laced testimony drew a rebuke from the judge. Yet remarkably, Xie’s sentence was light, given the nature and extent of her crimes. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined $150,000. Wearing an orange jump suit over a black t-shirt and baby blue prison trousers, Xie listened to the verdict without emotion. She was totally unrepentant. Meanwhile Xie’s lover, Luo Xuan, received four-and-half years.</p>
<p>Outside the court, many in the large crowd were shocked and angered by the verdict. ‘We didn’t believe our ears when we first heard it’s just 18 years,” said Chen Yanling, a Chongqing resident who claimed she was beaten by thugs after refusing to turn her teahouse into a casino. “How many crimes did Xie commit?”</p>
<p>The written verdict noted that (Xie’s) “gang had practiced illegal activities, harbored narcotics takers and bribed public officials. This generated serious repercussions and greatly disruptive normal social lives.” Andie.com, a Chongqing web site, said that Xie and her gang had “severely broken the norms of society.” Another onlooker commented: “Bear this in mind: she, to our great surprise, is the commander of an organized gang. I doubt if we can rehabilitate her within 18 years.”</p>
<p>The big catch was Wen, and in April 2010, the state got what it wanted. The 55-year old disgraced ex-public official was sentenced to death for taking bribes worth more 16 million yuan ($2.4 million). The state, moreover, confiscated all of Wen’s assets. Wen threw himself on the mercy of the court and admitted the charges, but to no avail. In May 2010, the appeal’s court upheld Wen’s death sentence. Given the Chinese government’s determination to make examples, Wen’s chances of escaping the death sentence did not look good.</p>
<p>Many of the 200 people, who gathered outside the courthouse, waiting for the verdict, were not happy with the ruling with what they considered to be a lenient ruling for Wen. As a police van drove Wen from the court house, shouts of “kill him! kill him!” were heard. But one woman told the China Daily newspaper: “I’m so happy the death of Wen is justice served. We are satisfied.”</p>
<p>The Chinese government now had its biggest victories in their battle against corruption. The criminal careers of Xie Caiping, queen pin, and Wen Quang, Chongqing former most powerful official, were history.</p>
<p><strong>Ron Chepesiuk</strong> is award winning freelance investigative journalist, documentary producer and Executive Producer and co-host of the Crime Beat radio show (<a href="http://www.artistfirst.com/crimebeat.htm/">www.artistfirst.com/crimebeat.htm/</a>) . He is a Fulbright scholar and a consultant to the History Channel's Gangland documentary series. His true crime books include Straight from the Hood, Black Gangsters of Chicago, Gangsters of Harlem Gangsters of Miami" and Sergeant Smack: The Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson. Kingpin, and his Band of Brothers.</p>
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<p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9237008461,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9237008461,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="421" alt="9237008461?profile=RESIZE_584x" /></a></strong></p></div>
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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Profile of Triad boss Peter Chong
https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/triad-boss-peter-chong
2010-11-03T17:30:00.000Z
2010-11-03T17:30:00.000Z
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<p><br /> By David Amoruso<br /> Posted on April 18, 2009<br /><br /> Peter Chong was one of the most powerful Triad bosses in the United States. His word was law on the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown. But after trying to merge all the Chinese crime gangs in the United States into one large crime group with him as leader, things came crashing down.<br /> <br /> Chong came to the United States in 1982. He wanted to establish a Chinese opera company, but authorities allege he was sent to the US by the powerful Wo Hop To Triad to oversee its interests there. It seems authorities were correct, because it wasn’t long before Chong started leading the Wo Hop To in San Francisco. The Wo Hop To were involved in gambling and extortion and ruled the city with an iron fist. Its members were allowed to eat for free in any restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, such was the fear law abiding citizens had for this crime group.<br /> <br /> Under Chong the Wo Hop To started expanding and adding smaller Chinese gangs to its organization. One of the gangs Chong joined forces with was the Hop Sing Tong, led by <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-rat-who-became-king-triad-boss-raymond-chow">Raymond Chow</a>. These mergers caused a lot of unrest among other gangs whose members had no interest in becoming underlings of Peter Chong.<br /> <br /> One of those gangs was the Wah Ching, led by Danny Wong. The Wah Ching was responsible for kicking Raymond Chow’s Hop Sing Tong gang out of San Francisco a decade earlier, so this was not just business, it was personal.<br /> <br /> The Wo Hop To decided to send Wong a message by killing his bodyguard. Wong replied in typical manner by having his men shoot up a car that was filled with members of the Wo Hop To, killing two and wounding eight.<br /> <br /> As tension grew, Wong decided the fighting was only causing the groups trouble. To stop the war he offered to meet with Chong. Both men attended a banquet with other leaders from both gangs, where peace was declared. But Chong was playing a devious game. He still wanted Wong out of the way. And what Chong wanted done, was done, no discussion. A year after toasting to a peaceful future, Wong was found with a bullet in his head. Chong had taken over San Francisco and there were no more gangs that stood in his way. It was time to start looking beyond California.<br /> <br /> Peter Chong and his underboss <a href="http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-rat-who-became-king-triad-boss-raymond-chow">Raymond Chow</a> were now running a vast criminal enterprise which was involved in drug smuggling, extortion, gambling, and loan sharking. But their operations were based in California and the two men were eager to take their organization to a national level.<br /> <br /> In the early 1990s, Chong and Chow invited Wayne Kwong to join the Wo Hop To/Hop Sing Tong brotherhood. Kwong was the leader of the On Leong Tong based in Boston. His underlings were involved in loan sharking, extortion, and drug distribution in the Chinatown section of Boston.<br /> <br /> Chong and Chow told Kwong about their plans for a national syndicate called “Tien Ha Wui" or "Whole Earth Association". This syndicate would be comprised of all the Asian gangs in the United States, and would be led by Peter Chong. The three men felt they were untouchable. Combining their mighty groups would enable them to make a lot of money. But law enforcement was already trying to bring the group down. Raymond Chow was heavily involved in arranging drug deals for the group. In one such deal, he ran into trouble when he made a deal to buy $100,000 worth of cocaine from an undercover DEA agent.<br /> <br /> In 1992, the indictments came down. But the main target of authorities had managed to flee. Peter Chong was already in Hong Kong. His Whole Earth Association was falling apart though. His underboss was arrested and looking at serious prison time. And Wayne Kwong decided to cooperate with authorities and testify against his former ‘brothers’. It wasn’t until 2000 when Chong was finally extradited to the US. There he was looking at yet another turncoat witness: his underboss, Raymond Chow.<br /> <br /> After an eight-week trial in 2002, Chong was found guilty of racketeering, murder-for-hire, extortion, and arson, and was sentenced to fifteen years and eight months in prison. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later overturned his conviction, saying there was not enough evidence of a murder-for-hire plot. But a judge would sentence him to eleven and a half years on the remaining charges. According to the Bureau of Prisons, Peter Chong (65) was released from prison on July 29, 2008.</p>
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