KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police have arrested 68 people believed to be linked to a Hong Kong crime boss, and seized luxury vehicles and froze bank accounts with total value of RM13.1 million (S$4.3 million) in a series of raids last week.
Malaysian police chief Abdul Hamid Bador said on Tuesday (March 30) that the raids targeted Malaysian fugitive businessman Nicky Liow Soon Hee, who is said to have ties to convicted Hong Kong's 14K triad boss Wan Kuok-Koi or Broken Tooth.
Liow, 33, is wanted by the Malaysian police for his alleged money laundering and organised crime activities.
"Intelligence-gathering by the task force revealed that Liow, who is the founder of Winner Dynasty Group, has alleged ties with transnational organised crime leader known as Wan Kouk-koi, or Broken Tooth," said Inspector-General of Police Hamid at a news conference.
Those arrested include both of Liow's younger brothers.
Liow, who has the title of datuk seri, is believed to be hiding in Malaysia.
"Out of the 68, a total of 48 individuals were arrested under Sosma," Tan Sri Hamid said, adding that the crackdown was launched following a tip-off received in mid-January by the Johor police relating to Macau scam investigations.
Sosma, the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, is the law that replaced the Internal Security Act for hardcore criminals.
The 48 individuals detained consisted of 30 Malaysians and 18 China nationals.
Mr Hamid said the Johor police launched on March 20 a massive eight-day-operation, dubbed Ops Pelican 3.0, to cripple the syndicate.
Among the 16 vehicles seized, worth RM6.67 million in total, was a Rolls Royce, while 41 bank accounts with more than RM4.1 million have been frozen.
Police are also investigating 34 individuals from various law enforcement agencies who are believed to be in cahoots with Liow, Mr Hamid said.
"One of the officers involved had leaked information to Liow, giving the suspect ample time to transfer a large sum of his wealth to an undisclosed location and flee the authorities.
"We have identified these law enforcement officers and we will investigate. We won't allow them to slip away," he added.
The police chief was quoted by Malaysia news site as saying: "I am fed up and enough warning has been given to them. I have said a long time ago to cut off whatever relationship they have with this gang.
"But from the look of things, from the results of the action taken, it seems there are traitors among my people."
The raids were carried out throughout the Klang Valley, Malaysia's wealthiest and most industrialised districts that include Kuala Lumpur.
On the Hong Kong triad boss Wan, Mr Hamid said: "Intelligence also found that Liow was appointed as the vice-president of Wan's World Hongmen History and Culture Association on Jan 4, 2019."
The World Hongmen History and Culture Association has been sanctioned and blacklisted by the United States Treasury Department in December last year, with officials claiming that it was an effort to legitimise Wan's triad, which is involved in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, racketeering, human trafficking and other criminal activities.
Wan, 55, has been on the Malaysian police's wanted list since Oct 16 last year for suspected gangsterism and fraud to the tune of RM6 million.
Wan previously served 14 years behind bars in Macau after being convicted of loan sharking, money laundering and heading a criminal group, news reports said.
"Based on our investigations, multiple Macau scam transactions were all traced back to shell companies linked to the blacklisted association," Mr Hamid said.
