Three months of raids

A series of Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) raids against triad businesses resulted in 6,400 arrests and the seizure of gambling equipment, weapons, and narcotics.

The HKPF conducted the raids between June 12 and September 21 using intelligence gathered with the help of Macanese and Chinese authorities. The raids targeted triad-run businesses like the drug trade, gambling dens, loan sharks, and unlicensed bars.

employed 83,000 officers and resulted in 6,400 arrests

The operation, codenamed “Thunderbolt 2023,” employed 83,000 officers and resulted in 6,400 arrests. Along the way, the police were also able to seize HK$410m ($52.4m) worth of cash and goods.

A cross-border initiative

The HKPF worked on Thunderbolt 2023 with the Macanese Public Security Police Force in Macau and the Chinese People’s Police in Guangdong Province.

The intelligence-led operation required the coordination of all three police forces as many of the crimes involved the movement of people, goods, and money from one jurisdiction to another.

praised the police forces of Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macau for “sparing no effort”

A spokesperson for the HKPF emphasized the cross-border aspects of the operation in a statement where they praised the police forces of Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Macau for “sparing no effort” in taking on “triad activities and organized crime, especially cross-boundary syndicates.”

The scale of the operation

The majority of material seized by police came in the form of drugs to the tune of around HK$350m ($44.75m) and HK$12m ($1.53m) in cash. Among the remaining assets were a great deal of weapons and gambling equipment.

The raids required 83,000 police officers to conduct the investigations, carry out the raids, and process the huge number of arrests.

drug and human trafficking, blackmail, assault

Of the 6,400 people who were arrested, 4,115 are men and 2,285 are women with ages ranging from as high as 85 years old to as low as ten. The arrestees face charges ranging from operating illegal gambling establishments and brothels to drug and human trafficking, blackmail, assault, and claiming membership of a triad society.

Many of those facing charges are from mainland China (849) or from outside of Greater China entirely (471), further illustrating the cross-border nature of the triad operation.

This is not the first time the HKPF has cracked down on illegal gambling in recent years. In 2021, the HKPF raided 14 triad gambling dens and in November 2022 they arrested Bu Yee-lam—a popular actress—for promoting World Cup betting.