Terror of the secretive triads

An estimated 50 triad gangs operate in Hong Kong

Triads have been described as one of the world's biggest and most feared organised crime networks.

The highly secretive criminal network, which has a global spread, is said to be involved in drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, kidnapping, illegal immigration, counterfeiting, video piracy, loan sharking and gambling.

Triads are linked with the drug trade

According to one estimate by author Martin Booth, triad brotherhoods are responsible for 90% of the heroin trade.

The hidden nature of their dealings makes it difficult to filter myth from reality in judging the full extent of their activities.

But Mr Booth, whose book The Dragon Syndicate is an in-depth look at triad culture, quoted a UN source as saying they constitute "the greatest potential criminal threat the world has ever known".

Ancient origins

The triad underworld has its roots in the feudal undercurrents of ancient Chinese dynasties.

Mr Booth traced the first "official" triad group back to 9AD feudal China, when secret societies offered protection to families.

The name "triad" is supposed to represent the harmony between heaven, Earth and man.

Triads sprang from the principles of earlier secretive societies, which had been founded on the lines of clan alliance, personal indebtedness and mutual protection.

They existed for centuries as quasi-cultural institutions, but by the 19th Century the imperial authorities had decreed membership to be punishable by death.

Ironically, while communist China under Chairman Mao Tse-tung was busy stamping out triads as part of a wider crackdown on its ancient hierarchical history, they were flourishing in Hong Kong under the gaze of British authorities, which viewed them as just another cultural institution.

Global spread

Triad activity has now achieved a global spread with the Chinese disapora.

Triads are hard to penetrate as they operate within the Chinese community

Gangs now have a foothold in countries as far apart as Holland, Malaysia, Australia and the United States with an estimated 50 gangs in Hong Kong.

Britain is thought to be home to four major gangs, including the renowned 14K, which is arguably the biggest in numbers.

And in China, they are now thriving again, and have been blamed for a growing wave of crime, including murders, drug trafficking and the selling of women and children.

Earlier this year, Chinese authorities held a recent campaign against the gangs, arresting several thousand alleged members.

Elsewhere, police often have an uphill battle fighting against the underworld groups as they operate mostly just within the Chinese community.

Victims are often too scared to even report incidents while witnesses will sometimes give a statement only to withdraw it as the trial approaches.