Hong Kong triads shift from street violence to fraud and money laundering
Hong Kong’s major triad groups are increasingly focusing on fraud, underground banking, cybercrime and money laundering rather than visible street violence, according to police and other experts cited by the South China Morning Post. Authorities say intelligence-led financial investigations have helped reduce triad-related deception cases since 2022.
Hong Kong’s major triad groups have increasingly shifted from visible street violence towards fraud, cybercrime, money laundering and other less conspicuous activities, according to police and experts cited by the South China Morning Post. The city’s four major syndicates are identified as Shui Fong, Wo Shing Wo, Sun Yee On and 14K. Jason, a former informal member of Shui Fong, told the newspaper that his experience showed him the gangs were driven more by money than by the traditional idea of brotherhood.
Jason said he received assignments through messaging applications, including property damage and the procurement of bank accounts for laundering fraudulent funds. He said he sometimes outsourced higher-risk tasks to others and took a share of the proceeds. Superintendent Joe Au Yeung Tak of the police organised crime and triad bureau said violent clashes had declined as triads moved into underground banking, cross-border money laundering and cybercrime.
These activities, he said, required less physical presence and were harder to detect. Police recorded 2,554 triad-related crimes in 2022, a 35 per cent increase from the previous year. Au Yeung said the increase was driven mainly by a sixfold rise in fraud, which accounted for 591 cases.
Authorities subsequently shifted from high-profile sweeps and mass arrests towards intelligence-led operations focused on deception and financial investigations. Police also worked with banks, telecommunications providers and law-enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions. Triad-related deception cases fell to 323 in 2023, 162 in 2024 and 129 in 2025.
The total number of triad-related crimes was below 2,000 last year, according to the report. Au Yeung said different factions were increasingly cooperating on cross-border criminal opportunities rather than competing for territory. Police are also investigating money laundering involving cryptocurrency, with specialist support from the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau.
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