Hong Kong police arrest 130 in month-long crackdown, shut down gambling dens
- Operation carried out in Sheung Shui between November 2 and December 2
- One suspect claiming to be beauty salon manager accused of helping to launder HK$15 million, police say
A spate of violent street incidents in northern Hong Kong triggered a month-long police crackdown that resulted in the arrest of 130 suspects, one of whom was accused of helping to launder HK$15 million (US$1.92 million), police said on Sunday.
Chief Inspector Au Yeung Tak of the New Territories North anti-triad unit said the operation was carried out in Sheung Shui between November 2 and December 2.
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Officers arrested 64 men and 66 women, aged 20 to 75, and seized cash, bank cards, various illegal paraphernalia and suspected proceeds from criminal activities, which together amounted to HK$2.5 million.
Police also shut down an illegal petrol station and five gambling dens in Sheung Shui and Ta Kwu Ling. The venues were a baccarat den, two mahjong dens and two venues with fishing game gambling machines. Officers arrested 122 individuals and seized items worth HK$1 million as evidence.
Those arrested are suspected of operating illegal gambling establishments, gambling, and violating the Dangerous Goods Ordinance and the Fire Services Ordinance.
The operation came in the wake of a series of high-profile incidents of street violence in Sheung Shui and Fanling in the past few months, Au Yeung said.
Officers also carried out arrests related to suspected money laundering activities from Friday to Saturday. Five men and three women, aged 35 to 47, were apprehended.
They claimed to be businessmen, bar owners, beauty salon managers, transport workers and labourers. Four of them were believed to be key members of a triad gang.
Among them was a 47-year-old man claiming to be a beauty salon manager who investigators believed was the mastermind of the money-laundering syndicate.
The investigation showed the man had used personal bank accounts and accounts opened under several company names to make significant transactions.
He was said to have established four companies involved in logistics, land, consulting, and wholesale fruit but no actual business activities could be found.
Officers uncovered more than 600 large transactions, totalling more than HK$15 million. The deals were conducted through 13 accounts of firms and individuals from 2013 to this year, Senior Inspector Chan Yeung-chuen of the same unit said.
Company documents, bank cards and multiple mobile phones were also seized, Chan said.
A sports car worth an estimated HK$1.47 million was also discovered registered under the name of a company belonging to the mastermind.
Police said 21 people had been charged, some others were released on bail and further arrests were possible.
In several major anti-triad operations last month, police deployed nearly 2,000 officers to carry out raids on hundreds of entertainment venues in a number of districts. They uncovered several suspected gambling dens and brothels, resulting in the arrest of more than 300 individuals.
Possible charges they face include running gambling establishments, operating brothels, possessing offensive weapons, fraud and handling criminal proceeds.
