Hong Kong’s Organised Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) and the Immigration Department have dismantled a loan-sharking and forgery ring that preyed on undocumented Vietnamese migrants. Over 8–9 October, officers executed warrants at eight premises in West Kowloon, arresting 127 suspects aged 23 to 92 and seizing HK$2 million in cash, fake ID-card blanks and gambling equipment. Investigators allege the syndicate provided illegal entrants with forged Hong Kong identity cards and arranged short-stay accommodation, then coerced them into taking out loans at interest rates of up to 3,700 percent. Victims unable to pay were forced to work in unlicensed bars or drug-distribution rings. Police said 37 arrestees were Vietnamese nationals, while 24 held recognisance forms, 20 entered on two-way permits and four were undocumented. The gang also operated “silver societies”— rotating credit clubs—through a sham villagers’ association that doubled as a gambling den. The case highlights how human-smuggling networks evolve into broader criminal enterprises that exploit gaps in border controls. Immigration officers are cross-checking seized documents against recent entry-exit records to identify any collusion at checkpoints. Corporate security advisers note that fake safety-training cards recovered in the raid could have allowed unqualified workers onto construction sites, raising liability risks for contractors who fail to authenticate documents.
Source: DimSum Daily
