Undercover with the Triads: How covert police officer busted Wo Shing Wo gang

A police agent went undercover as a gangster for nine months to help bust two factions of the Wo Shing Wo triad and arrest 63 people, police said.

The arrests included 16 secondary school pupils, with the youngest just 13 years old.

The undercover operation, codenamed "Highscorer", produced a list of 80 triad members with evidence of their illegal activities, Senior Superintendent Au Chin-chau of the New Territories South regional crime unit said yesterday.

"Police believe the operation has smashed two triad gangs and successfully cracked their illegal activities," he said.

An initial investigation indicated both factions were active in Kwai Chung and Tsim Sha Tsui, police said. The Kwai Chung gang was understood to have recruited youngsters to push illegal drugs and extend its influence in recent months.

An undercover policeman infiltrated the gang in June to collect evidence and identify active members.