Police have arrested 1,000 people in an operation against triads and organised crime involving 3,800 raids across the city in the past five weeks. And in a separate operation last night, they arrested three males aged 16 to 57 and seized a 7.62mm pistol and five rounds of ammunition in a raid on a flat in Shanghai Street, Mong Kok. Police said the three had a triad background and were part of a drug-trafficking syndicate that used the gun, believed not to have been fired, when escorting drug deliveries. In the five-week operation, officers confiscated goods worth HK$6.7 million, including illegal drugs, contraband cigarettes and counterfeit products, and seized betting orders on soccer and horse racing with a face value of HK$11 million. The crackdown, carried out annually before National Day since 2001, will continue for the rest of the year. Police fear quick-cash crimes could be a problem during celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic and the 10th anniversary of Macau's handover and the East Asian Games in December. 'I can't say whether the crime rate will increase [during those events]. I'm not a magician,' Superintendent Adrian Kwan Kim-fai said. 'But we believe, with all the efforts, the situation should be well contained.' Over the past 12 months, police had assessed security at the Games venues, the crime situation and terrorism-related issues. Thunderbolt 09, a joint operation by police from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong, began on August 21, with raids in Hong Kong co-ordinated by the organised crime and triad bureau. It resulted in 607 males and 393 females being arrested, including 290 mainlanders, for offences related to triads, vice, gambling and drugs. Aided by customs and immigration officers, police searched nearly 3,500 locations, including discos, massage parlours and gaming centres, and busted 39 vice establishments and 17 gambling dens. During the operation, officers seized illegal drugs with a street value of HK$3 million. Pornographic and pirated discs worth HK$2.5 million were also seized, along with weapons, including three stun guns and five knuckledusters. Kwan said police had noticed some new trends in illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and cross-border crime.
