More than 500 arrested in Hong Kong police crackdown on illegal gambling, ID forgery, gangs

Police seize fake Hong Kong ID cards, green cards, black market cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and counterfeit designer goods in series of operations

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Some of the more than 400 people arrested in a Hong Kong police crackdown on illegal gambling, one of a string of crimebusting operations. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:07pm, 10 Aug 2024Updated: 8:09pm, 10 Aug 2024

More than 500 people were arrested in a Hong Kong police crackdown on illegal gambling, a workshop that forged identity cards and employment documents and two non-Chinese gangs, the force said on Sunday.

Police added a total of 511 people were arrested after raids disrupted three illegal gambling operations backed by triads, a forger and two rival syndicates.

Officers also broke up the two non-Chinese gangs and made arrests in connection with a range of offences linked to a clash between rival criminal groups.

The force on Saturday said two people were arrested on Thursday night after officers searched a premises in Mong Kok and seized four fake ID cards, 36 partly completed fake ID cards and two “green cards”, needed to seek employment in the city.

Construction workers must complete a safety course and get a “green card” before they are eligible to work on building sites.

“We do not rule out the possibility that the two arrestees were creating fake identification documents for illegal immigrants to look for jobs in Hong Kong,” Chief Inspector Yan Fong-wai of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau said.