Hong Kong police arrested a total of 66 people during a three-day operation ended June 22 for possessing drugs for sale and managing drug dens and unlicensed gambling establishments.
Officers in Mong Kok raided three drug dens and two illegal gaming sites and arrested 50 men and 16 women, aged between 25 and 68, over the three-day period, Wen Wei Po reported on Saturday.
Among the arrested were 15 Pakistani asylum seekers who were in Hong Kong on temporary permits. The remainder were Hong Kong citizens. The operation yielded 10 grams of heroin worth HK$10,000 (US$1,282), various drug-taking paraphernalia and gaming equipment, two e-gaming tables, two mahjong tables, and HK$30,000 in cash.
One of the two illegal gambling establishments, located at 323 Reclamation Street, had previously operated as a drug den.
Lau Hon-kwan, Acting Chief Inspector and Officer-in-charge of Mong Kok, said all five of the raided sites were operated by a triad group and generated daily revenue from HK$5,000 to HK$20,000. Lau said the police operation had reduced income to the triad group, Oriental Daily reported.
He urged property owners to report to the police if they suspected that illegal activities were being conducted in their apartments.