The next organized crime group that has been chosen as an area of focus for this blog page on organized crime in the United States today is the Asian underground society known as the Triads. Triad is a term that is defined as a member of the many branches of Chinese criminal organizations based out of China. These organizations have significant influence in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan and any other heavily populated area with people of Chinese decent. The Triads criminal organization was originally started as a resistance of rebel forces who opposed the Manchu rule in China during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. Formed around the 1760’s the Heaven and Earth Society was formed to over throw the Qing dynasty and restore the late Han dynasty and the outlaw triad was born. A symbol of a triangle was adopted to represent the three harmonies the group stood for and the term triad was labeled to them by the British authorities in colonial Hong Kong. In 1949 the Chinese Communist Party came into power and the illegal operations and existence of the triads became a target of the new government. Estimated at this time the Triad organization was around 300,000 members with many other associates. Hong Kong became a serious haven for the Triads because it was still a colony controlled by the British and the communist influence was not as influential there. Each province in Hong Kong had different sub societies which were made up of the Triads and nine major sectors. Throughout the 1900’s and the massive migrations of the Asian communities to the United States, the Triads have expanded their global influence to the major metropolitan cities in our country. California is one of the largest cities that has been infiltrated by the Asian organized crime element in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Oakland. The ever growing Asian population in the United States and California is a direct link to the criminal threat posed by the Triads in our society.
The Triads engage in a majority of crimes throughout the world and here in the United States. Some of their criminal activities include, money laundering, human and drug trafficking, prostitution rings, smuggling, counterfeiting goods such as videos, music, software, also goods such as clothes, jewelry, and money. In the Northern California region the Triads involve themselves heavily with drug and human trafficking, prostitution rings, involving massage parlors as fronts for legitimate places of business. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the triads were heavily involved in counterfeiting Chinese currency and has incorporated this in their different factions all across the world as one of their major sources of illegitimate income. With the evolution of technology and the advancement of peoples standard of living, many organized crime facets, especially the triads have progressed to producing counterfeit technological goods. These organizations of triads also rely dramatically on internet scams and computer hacking as sources of income to fund their criminal enterprises.
Being Initiated into the Triad organization is similar to the other organized crime groups, like the Italian mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. They are deeply connected to historic and tradition based way of new members joining. New members are typically subject to several different ceremonies that consecrate their new membership. The ceremony takes place on a holy alter and they are surrounded by incense and sacrifice an animal as part of the offering for their Gods. Usually the animal is a chicken, pig or sometimes even a goat. After the newly appointed member drinks a mixture of blood and wine they will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting their spiritual oath’s. The paper that the candidate has read from will be burned at the alter as an obligation to honor their gods and perform the duties asked of them. Three fingers on the candidates hand will be raised and the ceremony will be over. An interesting fact about the Triads is that if a member commit’s a mistake in any way, shape or form and their superior council decides punishment, the disciplined member will have to remove a finger from his own hand to pay for the mistake he has made.
The Triads are one of many foreign organized crime groups that have migrated to the United States and created a negative influence in our society. The Asian groups as well as others tend to target their own kind here in America because they can exploit them and know that they will not be turned into the police. Many cases foreigners do not trust the police and turn to these criminal groups for money, help, and even access to this country, in return for pretty much slave labor that never ends For women many times they are exploited to become sex slaves and men usually are initiated as a solider and commanded to follow orders, with the hope of one day being freed, which usually is simply not true. This has created serious problems for our law enforcement and immigration departments across our country. It is extremely difficult to engage these foreign people because of the depiction our law enforcement officers are illustrated to be through these criminal groups and because there is such a difference in culture and customary practices. Law enforcement has taken new measures to countering this influence of the Triads on exploiting their own people and are implementing new practices when dealing with this threat. The Triads are an ancient and historically major facet of organized crime that has evolved into one of the worlds most notorious criminal entities, that has caused problems in the United States in the past and continues to be a burden on our democratic and free society.
orgcrime.tripod.com
Washington times.com/news
associated content.com/organized crime/triads
Uk.ibtimes.com/article/high rollers-triad-and las vegas
Staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/crimjust/or crime.htm
www.reseau-asie.com/chinesetriads-southeast asia/criminology.org
Chinahistoryforum.com
The Triads engage in a majority of crimes throughout the world and here in the United States. Some of their criminal activities include, money laundering, human and drug trafficking, prostitution rings, smuggling, counterfeiting goods such as videos, music, software, also goods such as clothes, jewelry, and money. In the Northern California region the Triads involve themselves heavily with drug and human trafficking, prostitution rings, involving massage parlors as fronts for legitimate places of business. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the triads were heavily involved in counterfeiting Chinese currency and has incorporated this in their different factions all across the world as one of their major sources of illegitimate income. With the evolution of technology and the advancement of peoples standard of living, many organized crime facets, especially the triads have progressed to producing counterfeit technological goods. These organizations of triads also rely dramatically on internet scams and computer hacking as sources of income to fund their criminal enterprises.
Being Initiated into the Triad organization is similar to the other organized crime groups, like the Italian mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. They are deeply connected to historic and tradition based way of new members joining. New members are typically subject to several different ceremonies that consecrate their new membership. The ceremony takes place on a holy alter and they are surrounded by incense and sacrifice an animal as part of the offering for their Gods. Usually the animal is a chicken, pig or sometimes even a goat. After the newly appointed member drinks a mixture of blood and wine they will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting their spiritual oath’s. The paper that the candidate has read from will be burned at the alter as an obligation to honor their gods and perform the duties asked of them. Three fingers on the candidates hand will be raised and the ceremony will be over. An interesting fact about the Triads is that if a member commit’s a mistake in any way, shape or form and their superior council decides punishment, the disciplined member will have to remove a finger from his own hand to pay for the mistake he has made.
The Triads are one of many foreign organized crime groups that have migrated to the United States and created a negative influence in our society. The Asian groups as well as others tend to target their own kind here in America because they can exploit them and know that they will not be turned into the police. Many cases foreigners do not trust the police and turn to these criminal groups for money, help, and even access to this country, in return for pretty much slave labor that never ends For women many times they are exploited to become sex slaves and men usually are initiated as a solider and commanded to follow orders, with the hope of one day being freed, which usually is simply not true. This has created serious problems for our law enforcement and immigration departments across our country. It is extremely difficult to engage these foreign people because of the depiction our law enforcement officers are illustrated to be through these criminal groups and because there is such a difference in culture and customary practices. Law enforcement has taken new measures to countering this influence of the Triads on exploiting their own people and are implementing new practices when dealing with this threat. The Triads are an ancient and historically major facet of organized crime that has evolved into one of the worlds most notorious criminal entities, that has caused problems in the United States in the past and continues to be a burden on our democratic and free society.
orgcrime.tripod.com
Washington times.com/news
associated content.com/organized crime/triads
Uk.ibtimes.com/article/high rollers-triad-and las vegas
Staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/crimjust/or crime.htm
www.reseau-asie.com/chinesetriads-southeast asia/criminology.org
Chinahistoryforum.com
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