Hong Kong police have arrested 65 people, including 11 sex workers and 54 others involved in suspected illegal gambling, in a two-day joint crackdown with fire services and immigration authorities targeting triad-linked income sources.
The force said on Saturday that another three people were issued summonses for running an illegal petrol station during the joint operation conducted on Thursday and Friday.
Superintendent Lui Sze-ho said officers raided five illegal gambling parlours and four premises involved in illegal prostitution, and also shut down a 279-square-metre (3,000 sq ft) illegal petrol station across Tai Po and Sheung Shui districts.
He said among the 65 arrested, 11 were non-local sex workers while another 54 were involved in operating, managing and taking part in illegal gambling. Some of them had triad backgrounds, he added.
Among the items seized were a large number of gambling tools, about HK$30,000 (US$3,830) in betting proceeds and more than 18,000 litres of illicit fuel, he said.
“Some triad members used various tenement buildings and residential flats in Tai Po and Sheung Shui districts as cover, converting them into illegal mahjong parlours, while some took advantage of the World Cup to control illegal football betting activities,” Lui said.