Macau triad kingpin faces expulsion from Canada after wiretap exposé
Macau gangster who fled to Vancouver 17 years ago, and his family, face expulsion; police say wiretap of rivals' murder plot exposed his identity
In 1996, Lai Tong Sang was one of Macau's most notorious triad leaders and a hunted man as he fought a brutal turf war with the 14K gang.
Now the Canadian government wants to expel the onetime head of the Wo On Lok triad and his family, 17 years after an immigration blunder allowed him to flee to Vancouver and bring his gang war to the city with him.
The opening of an immigration hearing in Vancouver on Tuesday saw a top anti-gang officer describe how wiretaps confirmed Lai's identity as the triad leader as rival gangsters discussed a plan to murder him. The plot, between members of "Broken Tooth" Wan Kuok-koi's 14K gang, culminated in a drive-by shooting at Lai's Canadian home in July, 1997. Lai was not hurt.
Lai, who has not been photographed in public for 15 years, did not attend Tuesday's hearing, having been granted permission to attend by teleconference from an undisclosed address in Macau. He spoke only to confirm his identity and that he could hear the proceedings. It is not known why Lai is in Macau.
His caution is perhaps understandable. His arch-enemy, Wan Kuok-koi, was released from prison less than three months ago, and the Wo On Lok is in the midst of another spate of bloodletting as gangsters battle over its leadership.
Superintendent Patrick Fogarty told the hearing officers in Vancouver stumbled on the plot to murder Lai in late 1996 from wiretaps involving an unrelated car-smuggling ring that involved 14K members. On the wiretaps, a 14K leader in Hong Kong was heard asking a Vancouver gangster whether his boss, Simon Chow, would take a HK$1 million contract to track down and murder Lai, who took permanent residency in Canada with his family in October that year.