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14K (triad)

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14K
14K
Founded1945
FounderKot Siu-wong
Founding locationGuangzhou,China
Years active1945–present
TerritoryHong Kong,Macau,China,andChinese communitiesglobally
Membership20,000[1]
Criminal activitiesDrug trafficking, counterfeiting, illegal gambling, bookmaking, arms trafficking, arson, fraud,human trafficking,identity theft,money laundering,extortion, murder, illegal immigration, kidnapping, hacking,racketeering,home invasion robberies[2]
AlliesPing On[3]
Snakeheads[4]
Wah Ching[5]
Tiny Rascal Gang[6]
RivalsAh Kong
Big Circle Gang
Sun Yee On
Wo On Lok
Wo Shing Wo

The14K( thập tứ K) is atriadgroup based inHong Kongbut active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of theSun Yee On,which is the largest triad.[7]

Criminal focus[edit]

The 14K is responsible for large-scale drug trafficking around the world, most of itheroinandopiumfrom China or Southeast Asia. This is their primary business in terms of generating income. They are also involved in illegal gambling,loan sharking,money laundering,contract murder, arms trafficking,prostitution,human trafficking,extortion,counterfeiting and, to a lesser extent,home invasionrobberies.[8][9]

History[edit]

The 14K was formed in 1945, byKuomintangLieutenant-GeneralKot Siu-wong[zh]inGuangzhou,China, as an anti-Communist action group.[10]In 1949, the group relocated to Hong Kong, when the Kuomintang fled from theCommunistsfollowing theChinese Civil War.[11]Originally there were fourteen members who were part of the Kuomintang, hence the name 14K. Other sources[1][12]say 14 stands for the road number of a former headquarters and K stands forKowloon.

Compared with other triad societies, the 14K is one of the largest and most violent Hong Kong-based triad societies, and its members appear to be more loosely connected. 14K factional violence is out of control, because no dragonhead is able to govern all factions of 14K worldwide.[6]

While Hong Kong's 14K triad gang dominates its traditional areas of operation and has expanded far beyond the former British colony, its focus remainsSinocentric.Hong Kong triads, including the 14K, have expanded their activities in mainland China. A key motivation for members to cross into China is to avoid police security and anti-gang crackdowns in Hong Kong.[6][13]

During the1956 riots,the 14K confronted the colonial government at the time. The riot caused 60 deaths and over 400 hospitalizations. After the riot, the colonial government arrested over 10,000 14K members, with 600 of them being deported to Taiwan. The government then created the Triad Societies Bureau, in order to assist law enforcement in combating triad activities.[14]

In 1997, there were a number of gang-related attacks that left 69 people dead. UnderWan Kuok-koi(nicknamed "Broken Tooth Koi",Băng nha câu), the 69K was being challenged by the smallerShui FongTriad. In 1998, a gunman believed to be connected to the local 14K killed a Portuguese national and wounded another at a pavement café inMacau.In 1999, a Portuguese court convicted 45-year-old mob boss, Broken Tooth Koi, on various criminal charges and sentenced him to 15 years' imprisonment. His 14K gang was suspected of drive-by shootings, car bombings and attempted assassinations. Seven of his associates received lesser sentences. Since the crackdown in Macau, the 14K triad resurfaced in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago in the United States; Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto in Canada; Sydney in Australia; and the UK.[15]

Structure and membership[edit]

Structure[edit]

The 14K Triad is made up of a number of sub-triads, that are only symbolically part of the triad, through have similar organisational structure and personal networks. They are decentralised and highly flexible with no overarching leader that commands the Triad as a whole.[16]

Traditional Triad Structure goes as follows: The leader of a triad is known as the 489 or the San Chu. The second in command is usually split into two different roles, called the Vanguard or the Incense master, with the role number of 438. The Vanguard is in command of recruiting. The Incense master leads the ceremonial rituals. Next in the chain of command are the Red Poles or 426s, who are the enforcers for the triad. The 415 or White Paper Fans handle administrative work. The 432 or Straw Handles, act as the mediator between other triads. Regular members with no leadership roles are just called soldiers, or 49s.[5]

Recruiting[edit]

The typical target for recruitment is the youth. In California there have been cases of 14K members recruiting teens in Asian densely populated areas such as San Francisco or Orange County. In Hong Kong, 14K members would usually recruit teens in poorer areas such as Kowloon, Kwun Tong, or Tuen Mun while also targeting certain schools.[17]

Role of women[edit]

Women have a relatively small role in the 14K triad, as it is a male dominant society.[18]

International activity[edit]

Africa[edit]

South Africa[edit]

Two 14K groups, 14K-Hau and 14K-Ngai,[19]are among seven Chinese criminal organizations operating in South Africa, represented in bothCape TownandJohannesburg,specializing primarily inextortionandabalonetrafficking. In 2000, the estimated gross income from the illegal exportation of abalone to Hong Kong was US$32 million.[20]

Asia[edit]

Japan[edit]

TheNational Police Agencystated in 1997 that the 14K had been expanding its operations in Japan since the 1980s and had branches inFukuoka,Osaka,SapporoandTokyo,each with at least 1,000 members. The 14K in Japan has been involved in counterfeiting credit cards and has cooperated withyakuzagroups in the importation large numbers of illegal Chinese migrants.[20]

Philippines[edit]

The 14K triad has been involved in smuggling arms toAbu Sayyafand has reportedly cooperated with the Islamic group in laundering and transmitting ransom money, taking a percentage of the ransoms in exchange for their assistance.[20]

Thailand[edit]

The 14K is the largest Chinese crime syndicate operating in Thailand. In January 2000, a haul of 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of heroin bound for the United States confiscated during an operation inBangkokwas attributed to the 14K. In addition to heroin, the 14K is involved in the smuggling and sale of the amphetamineya ba.Using Bangkok as a commercial and trafficking base, they transport and distribute the Burmese-manufactured drug to the Thai narcotics industry. The influx of other Chinese gangs and syndicates into Thailand has led to a series of turf wars between the 14K and smaller rival groups, fighting over territory in Thailand and sections of neighbouring Cambodia.[20]

Europe[edit]

Belgium and the Netherlands[edit]

The 14K triad has been active in the Netherlands since as early as the 1970s, when members of the gang controlled Chinese restaurants in numerous cities in the country.[21]Dutch police authorities believe that the 14K took full control of heroin importation into theBeneluxcountries in 1987. The 14K established a direct connection with Hong Kong, viaBangkok,the chief transit point. In the Netherlands, the 14K is divided into seven-to-ten-person cells, mainly inAmsterdam,that function as relay posts for moving heroin elsewhere in Europe. Authorities believe that Belgium now plays an equally important role. Heroin laboratories that were discovered in the Netherlands have been reassembled in Flanders, with strong bases inBrusselsandAntwerp.[20]

A foothold in Belgium has brought the narcotics traffickers closer to the money-laundering banks ofLuxembourg.In 1998, the chief of Belgium's security agency stated of Chinese criminal organizations in the country: "They include several hundred Asiatics and have a strong familial characteristic. Their activities are very diverse, also including [besides narcotics] gambling and illegal workshops. They also are developing money laundering, both small-scale (restaurants, etc.) and large-scale such as real estate and even industrial projects." For example, the 14K controls illegal gambling casinos in Antwerp. Belgium and the Netherlands form two corners of a triangular narcotics route of the 14K Triad. The third corner is Paris.[20]

France[edit]

The 14K is among the leading triads in France, where it has cooperated withTurkish,AlbanianandNigerian crime groupsin heroin trafficking.[21]

Ireland[edit]

The first reported triad activity in Ireland came in July 1979 when the 14K attempted a takeover of aDublin-based Chinese gang's protection rackets which led to a deadly gang fight resulting in two deaths. Tony Lee, allegedly a high-ranking member of the 14K'sCorkbranch, was killed along with Michael Tsin of the rival Dublin faction.[22]In August 1983, twelve members of the 14K were arrested inLimerickin connection with attempting to extort money from the owners of Chinese restaurant in the city. Nine of the men were believed to have come over from the UK. During the operation, a hoard of weapons including knives, pickaxes, bars and clubs were found.[23]

The 14K and other triads gained a firm foothold in Ireland in the 1980s when large numbers of Chinese restaurants opened in Cork and Dublin.[20]The triad association is still very much active but now operate in smaller groups run by members and distant relatives of the Nam and Tsin family. Underbosses, bosses and high ranking soldiers are believed to have "14K" tattooed on them using ink mixed with blood that's been blessed by Kuang Kong. This dilutes the ink and gives a faded effect which symbolises life in purgatory.

Leaked diplomatic cablesobtained by theIrish Independentin 2011 included intelligence reports by theGarda Síochána(Irish police) on Chinese organized crime in the country, specifically the activities of the 14K and their rivalWo Shing Wo.The reported criminal activities of the triads included the trafficking of women and children from China into Ireland, involvement in casinos, and money laundering. Gardaí also reported a great deal of interaction between the Chinese gangs operating in Ireland and Scotland.[24]

Arriba España The 14K has a branch in Spain, operating fromMadrid.[21]

United Kingdom[edit]

See also:Triads in the United Kingdom

The 14K was the first triad society to arrive in the United Kingdom, emerging from the Chinese communities ofLondon,Birmingham,LiverpoolandManchesterduring the post-war period. Although nearly all triad groups operating in the UK at the time were affiliated with the 14K, each operated independently of the Hong Kong 14K and generally viewed each other as rivals. Other triad societies did not arrive in the UK until 1964, when theLabour Partyencouraged large-scale immigration, bringing a huge influx ofHong Kong diaspora.[25]

While active predominantly in Birmingham and thenorth of England,[26]the 14K has a strong presence in London, where they have been involved in turf wars with their rivalWo Shing Woas well as Fujianesesnakeheadgangs.[27]On 3 June 2003, alleged 14K member You Yi He, who was the subject of a police investigation into people-smuggling at the time of his death, was shot and killed inLondon's Chinatown.[28][29]The 14K has battled Wo Shing Wo for control of rackets inGlasgow.[30]The two groups have cooperated in cigarette smuggling in Scotland.[31]In July 2003, 14K members were ambushed in a machete attack on Glasgow'sSauchiehall Streetby Wo Shing Wo, in a dispute over the control of protection rackets.[32]

North America[edit]

Canada[edit]

The 14K has been among the most active triad societies in Canada,[20]maintaining a chapter inToronto.[33]Initially, the group was made up of members from Hong Kong but later recruited from theVietnamese community,and absorbed the remnants of the defunctGhost Shadows.In 1988, theCriminal Intelligence Service Canada(CISC) estimated the number of members in the 14K's Toronto branch at 150, with around 40 criminally active in heroin trafficking, migrant smuggling, theft and extortion.[34]The Sam Gor syndicate is composed of 14K and other Triads and has Canadian roots in and leadership from the Big Circle Boys.[35][36]

Mexico[edit]

Intelligence reports from theAttorney General of Mexicoand thePhilippine Drug Enforcement Agencyhave indicated that the 14K triad is among the suppliers of raw materials used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine to theSinaloa Cartel.[37]

United States[edit]

The 14K has a presence inNew York,California,Chicago,BostonandHouston.[20]The 14K has had connections to the leadership of thePing Ontriad in Boston[3]andWah Chingin San Francisco.[5]

High-ranking 14K member Hui Sin Ma aka Frank Ma, who was born in China and illegally immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s, began his criminal career in Boston andSan Franciscobefore settling inQueens, New York,where he became associated with theOn Leong Tongand their youth gang theGhost Shadows,as well as theHip Sing Tong,along with their youth gang theFlying Dragons.In Queens, he oversaw heroin dealing, illegal gambling, a luxury car-theft ring, extortion rackets and immigrant smuggling.[38]

Ma ordered numerous killings to protect his criminal enterprise. In 1996, he fled to China to avoid detection by police. He later returned to the U.S. and was arrested in 2003. In 2010, he was convicted of murder and narcotics charges and sentenced to life in prison. Frank Ma was described by law enforcement as "one of the last of the Asian godfathers."[39]

Oceania[edit]

Australia[edit]

The 14K is among the main groups responsible for meth trafficking in Australia.[20]

New Zealand[edit]

New Zealand police have stated that the 14K is the most powerful Asian crime syndicate operating in the country. They are involved in the importation ofpseudoephedrine,a chemical precursor in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine, from Hong Kong and mainland China, which they sell to local drug trafficking gangs, theHead Huntersand theHells Angels.[40]

In August 2008, the 14K was allegedly involved in a high-profile kidnapping of a Chinese family nearPapatoetoe,Auckland.The plan was to demand a ransom, but they were found before the money was paid.[41]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abNepstad, Peter (15 March 2001)."Triads".The Illuminated Lantern.Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2021.
  2. ^McGivering, Jill (17 December 1999)."Cracking down on the triads".BBC News.Retrieved13 February2015.
  3. ^abBerdik, Chris (15 May 2006)."In the Shadow of the Dragon".Boston.
  4. ^Flood, John J. & McGough, Jim."Asian Street Gangs and Organized Crime in Focus".IPSN.org.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2012.Retrieved13 February2015.
  5. ^abcCriminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice (February 1988)."Report on Asian Organized Crime"(PDF).National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
  6. ^abcWang, Peng (1 November 2011)."Divide and Conquer: Factionalised Triad Gang Spreads its Wings".Jane's Intelligence Review.23(11): 46–49.
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  10. ^"14-K Triad".Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC).Retrieved22 November2018.
  11. ^Prunkun, Henry (2007)."14K (Hong Kong)".In Shanty, Frank G. & Mishra, Patit Paban (eds.).Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism, Volume 1.Santa Barbara, CA:ABC-CLIO.p. 466.ISBN978-1-57607-337-7.
  12. ^Hays, Jeffrey (April 2010)."Triads and organized crime in China".Facts and Details.Archived fromthe originalon 12 December 2010.
  13. ^Varese, Federico (2011).Mafias on the Move: How Organized Crime Conquers New Territories.Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press.ISBN978-1-4008-3672-7.
  14. ^Wang, Peng; Kwok, Sharon Ingrid (30 March 2022)."Hong Kong Triads: The Historical and Political Evolution of Urban Criminal Polity, 1842–2020".Urban History.50(3): 445–467.doi:10.1017/s0963926821001024.ISSN0963-9268.S2CID247874529.
  15. ^Kim, Hannah."The Origin of Asian and Chinese Gangs in Chicago's Chinatown (Page 4)".Gang Research.net.Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2015.Retrieved13 February2015.
  16. ^Chu, Yiu Kong (March 2005)."Hong Kong triads after 1997".Trends in Organized Crime.8(3): 5–12.doi:10.1007/s12117-005-1033-9.ISSN1084-4791.S2CID144173297.
  17. ^Attorney General's Youth Gang Task Force (1981).Report on youth gang violence in California(Report). Sacramento, CA:California Department of Justice.
  18. ^Finckenauer, James O.; Chin, Ko-lin (December 2006)."Asian transnational organized crime and its impact on the United States: Developing a transnational crime research agenda".Trends in Organized Crime.10(2): 18–107.doi:10.1007/s12117-006-1034-3.ISSN1084-4791.S2CID152011491.
  19. ^Gastrow, Peter (September 2003)."Triad Societies and Chinese Organised Crime in South Africa"(PDF).Crime & Justice International.19(76): 12–18 – via Africa Portal.
  20. ^abcdefghijBerry, LaVerle B.; Curtis, Glenn E.; Elan, Seth L.; Hudson, Rexford A.; Kollars, Nina A. (April 2003)."Transnational activities of Chinese crime organizations"(PDF).Library of Congress.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2 July 2015.Retrieved13 October2019.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  21. ^abcSiegel-Rozenblit, Dina (2011).Asian Organized Crime in the European Union(PDF)(Report).European Parliament.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 August 2023.Retrieved9 October2019.
  22. ^Collins, Liam (5 August 2018)."The night the bloody Triad wars erupted on the streets of Dublin".Irish Independent.
  23. ^Forsyth, Owen (18 January 2019)."The Triad Gang War of Dublin in 1979".The Irish Mob.
  24. ^Brady, Tom (8 June 2011)."Chinese Triad gangs trafficking women into Ireland for sex industry – cables".Irish Independent.
  25. ^Berry-Dee, Christopher (21 September 2009).Gangland UK.Kings Road Publishing.ISBN9781843586913– via Google Books.
  26. ^"Triad link to Essex murder".BBC News.26 July 1999.
  27. ^Keeley, Graham (13 April 2012)."Terror of the triads".Evening Standard.
  28. ^"Chinatown shooting 'gangs link'".BBC News.23 June 2004.
  29. ^Thompson, Tony (10 April 2005)."Triads 'infiltrate' Soho casino".The Guardian.
  30. ^Page, Cara (10 February 2007)."Scots die in Triads shooting".Daily Record.
  31. ^Lo, Shiu Hing (11 August 2009).The Politics of Cross-border Crime in Greater China: Case Studies of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.M.E. Sharpe.ISBN9780765623041– via Google Books.
  32. ^Walker, Andrew (18 July 2003)."Triads in Turf War; Battle for control of city".Daily Record– via Thefreelibrary.com.
  33. ^Helfand, Neil S. (July 2003).Asian Organized Crime and Terrorist Activity in Canada, 1999-2002(PDF)(Report).Federal Research Division.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 1 April 2019.
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  36. ^Douglas, Jeremy (15 November 2018)."Parts of Asia are slipping into the hands of organized crime".CNN.
  37. ^Harris, Bryan (12 January 2014)."Hong Kong triads supply meth ingredients to Mexican drug cartels".South China Morning Post.
  38. ^Feuer, Alan (16 April 2010)."The Last of the Asian Godfathers".The New York Times.
  39. ^Feuer, Alan (16 April 2010)."The Last of the Asian Godfathers".The New York Times.
  40. ^Carney, John (12 September 2010)."Asian drug links reach south with meth deals".South China Morning Post.
  41. ^Meng-Yee, Carolyne (17 August 2008)."Xin Xin's family flee over Triad gang threat".The New Zealand Herald.Retrieved14 September2011.
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