120 officers make the biggest seizure of firearms in over 20 years, finding 800 bullets and seven grenades
Hong Kong's most-wanted suspect, Kwai Ping-hung, will spend Christmas behind bars after he was arrested by the elite police Flying Tiger squad as he slept early yesterday.
Officers made the biggest seizure of firearms for nearly 30 years during the raid in Yau Ma Tei. The find included seven grenades and more than 800 bullets, said Chief Superintendent Fung Kin-man, head of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau .
Police confirmed the arrest last night. Sources in the force said earlier that Kwai, 43, was one of the two men arrested in a surprise morning raid.
Kwai and his gang are suspected of committing 20 armed robberies in the past three decades, including the shooting and wounding of two policemen in Mongkok in 2001.
The pair were arrested in a large-scale operation involving about 120 officers - including those from the Special Duty Unit that is commonly known as the Flying Tiger squad. Triad and Criminal Intelligence Bureau officers also took part. Hooded officers equipped with machine guns and flak jackets raided an apartment in the Man King Building, Yau Ma Tei, at 3.30am. Officers sealed off four blocks surrounding the building and checked the identities of anyone heading in or out of the area.
The raid went smoothly and officers did not fire a single shot when the suspects were caught as they slept. The operation lasted about three hours.