14K (triad)

The 14K is responsible for large-scale drug trafficking around the world, most of it heroin and opium from 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 invasion robberies. == History ==

The 14K was formed in 1945, by Kuomintang Lieutenant-General in Guangzhou, China, as an anti-Communist action group. In 1949, the group relocated to British Hong Kong after the Kuomintang evacuated China following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. Originally there were fourteen members who were part of the Kuomintang, hence the name 14K. Other sources During the 1956 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. In 1997, there were a number of gang-related attacks that left 69 people dead. Under Wan Kuok-koi (nicknamed "Broken Tooth Koi", ), the 14K was being challenged by the smaller Shui Fong Triad. In 1998, a gunman believed to be connected to the local 14K killed a Portuguese national and wounded another at a pavement café in Macau. 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. ==Structure and membership ==

Structure The 14K triad is made up of a number of sub-triads, that are only symbolically part of the triad, though have similar organisational structure and personal networks. They are decentralised and highly flexible with no overarching leader that commands the Triad as a whole. 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 Hat crew, act as the mediator between other triads. Regular members with no leadership roles are just called soldiers, or 49s. Role of women Women have a relatively small role in the 14K triad, as it is a male dominant society. ==International activity==

Africa South Africa Two 14K groups, 14K-Hau and 14K-Ngai, are among seven Chinese criminal organizations operating in South Africa, represented in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, specializing primarily in extortion and abalone trafficking. In 2000, the estimated gross income from the illegal exportation of abalone to Hong Kong was US$32 million. Asia Japan The National Police Agency stated in 1997 that the 14K had been expanding its operations in Japan since the 1980s and had branches in Fukuoka, Osaka, Sapporo and Tokyo, each with at least 1,000 members. The 14K in Japan has been involved in counterfeiting credit cards and has cooperated with yakuza groups in the importation large numbers of illegal Chinese migrants. Philippines The 14K triad has been involved in smuggling arms to Abu Sayyaf and has reportedly cooperated with the Islamic group in laundering and transmitting ransom money, taking a percentage of the ransoms in exchange for their assistance. Dutch police authorities believe that the 14K took full control of heroin importation into the Benelux countries in 1987. The 14K established a direct connection with Hong Kong, via Bangkok, the chief transit point. In the Netherlands, the 14K is divided into seven-to-ten-person cells, mainly in Amsterdam, 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 in Brussels and Antwerp. In August 1983, twelve members of the 14K were arrested in Limerick in 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. 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. The 14K has a branch in Spain, operating from Madrid. While active predominantly in Birmingham and the north of England, the 14K has a strong presence in London, where they have been involved in turf wars with their rival Wo Shing Wo as well as Fujianese snakehead gangs. 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 in London's Chinatown. The 14K has battled Wo Shing Wo for control of rackets in Glasgow. The two groups have cooperated in cigarette smuggling in Scotland. In July 2003, 14K members were ambushed in a machete attack on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street by Wo Shing Wo, in a dispute over the control of protection rackets. North America Canada The 14K has been among the most active triad societies in Canada, The 14K established its chapter in Toronto in 1976. The 14K was reported in the 1970s to be recruiting actively within the Chinese-Canadian community as well bringing new members from Hong Kong. Initially, the group was made up of members from Hong Kong but later recruited from the Vietnamese community, and absorbed the remnants of the defunct Ghost Shadows. In 1988, the Criminal 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. The Sam Gor syndicate is composed of 14K and other Triads and has Canadian roots in and leadership from the Big Circle Boys. Mexico Intelligence reports from the Attorney General of Mexico and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have indicated that the 14K triad is among the suppliers of raw materials used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine to the Sinaloa Cartel. United States The 14K has a presence in New York, California, Chicago, Boston and Houston. 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, with the cooperation of one of his underlings, John Chan, Ma 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." In August 2008, the 14K was allegedly involved in a high-profile kidnapping of a Chinese family near Papatoetoe, Auckland. The plan was to demand a ransom, but they were found before the money was paid. ==See also==