Triad turns Hong Kong industrial units into nightclubs; 65 arrested in two‑day sweep

Hong Kong police, with support from the Immigration Department, arrested 65 people after a two-day operation targeting an alleged West Kowloon syndicate suspected of running illegal entertainment venues. The raids took place on 10 and 11 July at 10 locations across Hung Hom, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po. More than 170 officers were deployed in the intelligence-led crackdown, which also detained five alleged core members. Investigators said units inside industrial buildings were converted into venues with steel doors and CCTV, serving alcohol without a licence, supplying narcotics and offering karaoke rooms with hostesses. Police seized heavy-duty sound systems, large quantities of alcohol and about 360 grams of suspected drugs, including “happy powder,” cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine, worth an estimated HK$190,000. Follow-up checks and additional raids across related Tsim Sha Tsui nightspots and illegal “fishing machine” gambling dens led to further arrests for alleged breaches, money laundering and operating illegal gambling, with estimated washed proceeds of more than HK$13 million in recent years.