125 arrested in police crackdown on triad-run lunchbox racket, illegal gambling dens

Hong Kong police have dismantled a triad operation that monopolized the construction site lunchbox business and ran illegal gambling dens, arresting 125 people in total.

The triad group, active in East Kowloon amidst a construction boom, used intimidation tactics like threats, arson, and extortion to force legitimate food suppliers to pay "site protection fees." This allowed them to control the meal box market at various construction sites.

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Alternatively, they coerced these legitimate suppliers into paying them thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in so-called ‘site protection fees,’ thereby monopolising the meal box business at construction sites.

Beyond extortion, the group operated its own unhygienic food production, making around 800 lunchboxes daily in a tin shed in Sai Kung and selling them for HK$50 each. Police described the food handling as unsanitary, using "shabby tools and handled food from unknown origins."

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They used shabby tools and handled food from unknown origins in an unhygienic environment.

Undercover officers faced harassment when attempting to supply lunchboxes to a construction site, with triad members threatening them and destroying their equipment. The group's alleged mastermind, three core members, and five workers were among those arrested on charges including blackmail and operating an unlicensed food factory.

In a separate but related operation, police raided four illegal gambling dens, arresting 116 people. These individuals are suspected of operating or gambling in an illegal establishment. The crackdown highlights ongoing efforts to combat organized crime in the city.

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They threatened the undercover officers and even destroyed the equipment they were using to sell their lunchboxes.