Extortion by gangsters

[Carol Anne]

My husband reckons that every single Chinese owned restaurant, take-out shop, cash&carry etc. in the country have to pay dues to the Triads. This of course being conducted in the secrecy so associated with that culture, that in effect the law is completely powerless to stamp it out. There was a case here in Glasgow in the late eighties when a gang of Chinese thugs came all the way from Southampton to burst in to a busy restaurant kitchen and start chopping up the staff and owner. They were caught and subsequently exposed as Triads but the police barely were able to scratch the surface as to their motive.
Can organised crime exist in this country with such impunity or is it more likely to be a total myth?

[popsickle]

well, we tried it on a chinese takeaway for a laf wen we was kids, and they called the police. we were sat opposite, they didnt know it was us, we just rang and sed 1 or the lads is comin in and if u like ur chippy the way it is, cough up 200 a week. call the police and u won't have a chippy to go to in the mornin.... they was havin none of it and called the police. spoilsports..... interestin childhood

[Carol Anne]

Sadly, my husband is not mentally retarded, I had him examined by a staff of doctors twenty years ago and he was just fine. This of couse is excellent news, for by the logic of the sage 3ight8ball, the answer concurs with my view all along and I shall quite happily continue to patronise Chinese restaurants in the sure and utter knowledge that I am not inadvertently contributing to crime.

[legend004]

Mani its true many are but im sure not all are.

theres also mafia , eastend london gangs etc etc .

not just chinese

[R1Geezer]

Didn't the triads used to make toys? would have thought they move on to extortion from there.

[raysparx1]

Some in the south definitely are, wouldn't think it covered the whole of Britain, that is very unlikely, but parts of London, then yes, they will have to pay a certain amount, just as businesses do in parts of italy,with the mafia.

[Buddie]

I'll ask my friend Jimmy, his family have owned the local 'Lucky Duck' takeaway in my town since the 1950's. Seen as he spends most of his time on the golf course with my friend's husband, both usually with not a care in the world!, that doen't sound like a man hotly pursued by armed gangs to me. Come to think of it his family now own most of my town!! Perhaps they are the triads!

[kujawski]

im mentally retarded!

[raysparx1]

Read this article.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/apr/10/china .gambling

[123everton]

There are basically 2 Triad gangs operating in this city (their restaurants, which was their base, used to look out onto one another) one gang dealt with the people from Hong Kong and the other the mainland Cantonese. The Cantonese one had a brothel above solely for the use of it's Chinese clientele (everyone downstairs was oblivious to it) these gangs will at least know of all the people in their "manor" I could'nt say overly about extortion etc but they are heavily involved in the bringing over of family members and so on. Most Chinese know how to contact the Triads (but most avoid them) my Cantonese ex (from whom I gleaned all this) had a cousin who got involved with them, her uncle was able to buy him out.
The Cook Report did an item on Triads many years ago, not much will have changed since,. If anything it'll be worse.

[meredith101]

Most people in the UK are not chinese (shrugs). The chinese that are here have a separate language mainly, and culture, which is why the operations of such a group can go on in such a concealed way. I guess that's why the Triads move so little (i guess) in non chinese circles. Non chinese would tell them to 0808 off. If I ran a business and ANYONE tried to run 'protection' on me I'd die first rather than pay up. My grandfather didnt fight in a war to ensure my freedom for me to yield it in such a way as this.

[libertie]

I work in the food manufacturing industry and it's pretty well known among big distributors that many of the Chinese community are *advised* which wholesalers to use!

[Carol Anne]

Got it in one, In a picklle, Thats why I say sadly my hubby isn't retarded, because if he were it would be easier to excuse him when he starts spouting off from time to time !! .........men are from Mars etc.

[weeal]

I remember the glasgow one if its the restaurant owner from Barrhead?

[Carol Anne]

Yes, and gang didn't take into account that the only quick route out of Scotland was the old A74, where stop checks were set up within an hour. All six of them caught in one go The papers were full of it at the time and stiff sentences handed down, but neither the police or the trial were able to establish the exact motive

[weeal]

my wee sister went to school with his daughter though i didnt know her, was a terrible thing