Hong Kong arrests 65 individuals in illegal gambling and drug crackdown

The suspects are also involved in allegedly supplying drugs and managing an illegal hostess service. Over the past two days, the Kowloon West regional crime headquarters carried out a large-scale operation called Thunderbolt and Roaring Tiger to disrupt the syndicate’s income sources, according to Superintendent Billy Ching Chi-yan. This operation, which involved over 170 police officers, took place from Friday to Saturday and led to raids on 10 venues. Among the 65 suspects, 40 were men and 25 were women, as police targeted illegal nightclubs, including three suspected gambling dens. The syndicate offered fishing arcade games, and Chief Inspector Alex Yau Yu-sing of Kowloon West’s regional anti-triad unit explained that members of the syndicate bought access to customers' bank accounts to use them as mules for the gambling den’s proceeds. Police arrested 21 men and eight women on suspicion of operating and participating in illegal gambling activities.