Police dismantle alleged triad group that ran account centres to launder HK$600 million

Hong Kong police have arrested 147 individuals in a crackdown on a suspected triad syndicate involved in laundering illicit funds, according to Acting Senior Superintendent Auyeung Tak of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau. The operation, code-named "Rapidhorse," took place over two days earlier this month and targeted drug and gambling dens in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Police seized HK$600 million (US$76 million) in allegedly illicit proceeds and confiscated assets worth approximately HK$5 million, including cash, vehicles, jewelry, luxury watches, weapons, drugs, and gambling equipment. The syndicate is alleged to have set up account coordination centers to facilitate bank accounts and launder nearly HK$600 million in illicit funds between January 2025 and August 2026.

The group was believed to recruit drug abusers, gamblers, and those seeking quick income as stooge account holders, who were then used to open online bank accounts and undergo identity verification at a coordination center in Tsuen Wan. The money-laundering center in Wong Tai Sin then handled frequent transactions to launder the illicit proceeds.

Police found 56 unauthorized bank cards at the money-laundering center and arrested 147 individuals, including the alleged mastermind and nine core members. Acting Superintendent Ho Yan-kit of the bureau stated that the ringleader had remained elusive, relying on trusted middlemen to issue instructions and evade detection. Police urge the public to protect their personal data and avoid becoming accomplices to the criminals' illicit activities.