September 28, 2023
HONG KONG – Hong Kong police arrested 6,400 persons and seized cash, dangerous drugs and illicit goods worth about HK$410 million ($52.4 million) in a cross-boundary crackdown against organized crime from June to September.
Over 83,000 police officers from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Guangdong province, and Macao SAR were mobilized in the intelligence-led joint enforcement operation, codenamed “Thunderbolt 2023”, to neutralize triad activities and organized crimes, especially those committed by cross-boundary syndicates.
Police conducted searches in about 3,100 locations, closing down numerous gambling dens, vice establishments, unlicensed bars, and loan-sharks companies.
The arrested suspects comprised 4,115 men and 2, 285 women, aged between 10 and 85, and included 849 persons from the Chinese mainland and 471 non-ethnic Chinese.
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They were arrested for triad-related or organized crimes, such as wounding, criminal damage, blackmail, possession of offensive weapons, claiming to be a member of a triad society, illegal gambling, operating vice establishments, control over persons for prostitution, drug trafficking, obtaining property by deception, and money laundering.
Police also seized numerous illegal items including gambling tools, offensive weapons, cash totaling HK$12 million suspected to be proceeds of crime, and dangerous drugs worth over HK$350 million, including cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
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The Hong Kong Police Force said it will continue to maintain close coordination with police authorities in the mainland and Macao to combat illegal activities of triad societies and organized crime syndicates.