Ah Kong
阿公 | |
Founded | 1970 |
---|---|
Founders |
|
Founding location | bookmaking, gambling |
Rivals | 14K |
Ah Kong (
Although Ah Kong was based in Amsterdam and Bangkok, it had operations in other major European cities and the Asia-Pacific. Ah Kong, which means "The Company" or short for kongsi in Hokkien, was never that influential in their home country of Singapore despite its founding members being from there, due to the country's strict anti-drug policies and the successful crackdown on secret societies[a] there. It was also known to have had connections with other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, and over the years they had built strong ties with the infamous Penang-based Sio Sam Ong.
Most of the members of Ah Kong were
After the assassination of the Ah Kong boss in 1997, they began to lose their influence to the Sin Ma gang based in Rotterdam led by a Singaporean fugitive wanted for first-degree murder with firearm in the 1980s. The last official Ah Kong boss died in March 2010. Roland Tan died in 2020.
Background
Singapore
In 1954, the
To eradicate the secret societies, the
Origin
On the night of 23 October 1969,
The clash had arisen from a previous dispute between See Tong and Pek Kim Leng gang members in a bar. Negotiations held later to settle the dispute broke down. A 'curfew' between the two gangs ensued whereby gang members would attack at the sight of each other.
Roland and many of his fellow gang members were from a Hainanese village at Upper Serangoon, where the community was close-knit and included hardened fugitives and seamen. With the help of See Tong, Roland and some of his 'brothers' managed to escape to Amsterdam. Most of the gang members involved in the attack were arrested and were jailed without trial.
The Rise of Ah Kong
Amsterdam
Amsterdam, capital and second-largest port city of the Netherlands, already had a thriving
Back in those days, Holland's relaxed attitude towards drugs not only had created a domestic addiction problem, but also encouraged foreign narcotics merchants, especially the Chinese, to move into the country. Dutch law made it extremely difficult for the police to cope with narcotics traffic. A trafficker must be in physical possession of illegal drugs to be prosecuted. Sting operations and plea bargains are forbidden. Wiretaps cannot be used in direct evidence. Sentences are short and jails are as comfortable as college campuses.
Upon reaching Amsterdam, Roland and his brethren were received and taken care of by a person known as Johnny, or Big Johnny as some would like to call him. Johnny was the
Roland Tan and his brethren, who had very little money with them, saw how members of
Ah Kong members then had firearms but often armed themselves with knives. An incident that marked their arrival to the
By 1973, Ah Kong's dealings had grown and they had become a major player in the heroin trade.
14K
The man in control of the heroin trade then was the first Chinese Godfather in Europe, Chung Mon aka Unicorn of the
On 3 March 1975, three men approached Chung Mon as he stepped towards his Mercedes outside his office, and fired ten bullets into the Chinese Godfather. It is believed that the three men, who were never arrested, were sent by Ng Sik-ho aka Limpy Ho, a major Chiuchow/Teochew drug lord in Hong Kong who was a rival of the 14K. (In 1991, a Hong Kong film, To Be Number One, that depicted the life of Limpy Ho was made.)[4]
Within months, the
On the anniversary of Chung Mon's death, 3 March 1976, which was seven months after Chan's arrival in Amsterdam, he went to the Yow Lee domino club co-owned by Johnny and his sworn brother, Mo Yong, who was also a
Split
Tan, a recalcitrant and habitual gambler, started embezzling the Company's fund. If the accountant would not collaborate with him, he would be replaced. Eventually, Tan's insidious ways were exposed that led to the breaking up between Johnny and him. Johnny went to
There was a time Roland was detained by the European authorities and the
On 30 August 1976, two
In 1977, law enforcement agencies from the west were ready to arrest Johnny at Bangkok airport once he touched down. When he left the arrival hall, the law enforcement officers walked up to him and identified themselves but Johnny's men responded with firepower, and a shootout ensued. Johnny managed to escape to Penang, Malaysia. He returned to Amsterdam but was arrested and had 17 murder charges read to him. He was found not guilty due to lack of evidence. On 1 September 1977, Johnny was arrested again and sentenced to 10 years in a Swedish prison. After his release, he affirmed Tan spoke to the authorities and 'fingered' him.
Tan moved to
On the contrary, Johnny was seen as a very generous man. Many were ready to risk their lives for him and there were many who were ready to finance him if he so needed it.
Organization
Ah Kong thrived and grew until early 1978. When the
The Singapore authorities found that the make-up of Ah Kong consist of Singapore gangsters, seamen and fugitives, and there were four key leaders. They were a highly dangerous group of men who had no compunctions about killing to protect The Company's interests. Within itself, the Ah Kong functioned like a close-knit family, demanding uncompromising loyalty from all members. However, Ah Kong was never run along
Ah Kong had also diversified its business into restaurants, the diamond trade, travel agencies, nightclubs, gambling and buying
Ah Kong members were all well-off from the profits of the drug transactions and spent freely on women, travel, expensive clothes and drinks. As a rule, Ah Kong left its members to their own indulgences. But ironically enough, the only thing it would not tolerate was drug consumption by members.[7]
The Ah Kong members were paid a basic monthly salary starting from 2000
Singaporean seamen who worked as couriers in European cities were paid at least $2000
One of the reasons for Ah Kong's success was that they were always one step ahead of the law. When Amsterdam customs officers started checking on all Asian passengers thoroughly, Ah Kong flew its couriers to 'safer' airports in London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris and Rome. From these airports, the couriers travelled to Amsterdam or Frankfurt by train or taxi. They avoided airports in Germany and Denmark because these countries used narcotics detector dogs.
In late August 1978, the
One of the Ah Kong members who was arrested cooperated with the authorities and provided information of the gang members' whereabouts was gunned down in Thailand after his release.
The New Generation
1980s
Till the early 1980s, the leader of Ah Kong was Benson until he was jailed without trial in Singapore. The gang was later led by a new generation leader call Bernard, but better known as Siam-kia, which literally means Siamese Kid in Hokkien. Siam-kia had previously attained a university degree when he was in prison without trial in Singapore. After taking over the leadership of Ah Kong, Siam-kia handpicked a team of elite enforcers and ran the gang in executive style. A casino was opened at Kerkstraat 23 in Amsterdam.
There was an occasion when Siam-kia was disrespected by the
Siam-kia was the most popular amongst all the Ah Kong bosses. Although he was the brain behind Ah Kong, he owed his success to the many capable people he had equipped himself with. Ah Kong became so prosperous that it owned more than a hundred racehorses in Singapore. However, like Roland before him, Siam Kia too succumbed to gambling. He lost heavily on horse racing that led him to embezzle the Company's fund. The underboss of Ah Kong, Dennis aka Nor Du, who was not a former See Tong member, led a coup d'état, and the allegations implicated Siam-kia of embezzlement which led to his exit.
Siam-kia was eventually "deported" to Thailand where he went through difficult times. However, he learned to 'cook' MDMA/ecstasy and began producing them in his home laboratory, and he made a comeback in 1997. He operated in Southeast Asia and supplied ecstasy and ketamine to the Asia-Pacific market. He was also involved in cocaine and cannabis. He did meet obstacles when he expanded his interests to Indonesia when the local kingpin there known as Hong Li, took more than a hundred thousand units of ecstasy from him but did not make payment. Siam-kia openly announced a death contract on Hong Li (Hong Li is still alive living in Canada and has return to Indonesia on several occasions). Siam-kia had also incurred the dislike of some Ah Kong elders because he had betrayed a prominent Ah Kong old-timer, Jack, who had gone into partnership with him. For this reason, when the two men met many years later in Bangkok, Jack smashed a glass onto Siam Kia's head.
In 2000s, Siam-kia has made an enormous windfall from real estate investments in Cambodia and runs a casino there.
1990s
After deposing Siam-kia, Dennis ruled the Chinese underworld in the Netherlands with an iron-fist. During this time, he saw the rising popularity of
Dennis spoke
During his reign, he recruited many
Under Dennis' leadership, Ah Kong became more influential. Dennis was well connected and had built a vast pool of contacts from Asia to Europe. He had business dealings with the
Ah Kong members were dressed in Versace and wore diamond-studded gold Rolex watches which became their trademark. However, Dennis chose to dress simply without any luxury accessories. Ah Kong soldiers would patrol the streets, airports and train stations and look out for 'China White' traffickers arriving from Asia and other European cities. If they spot any suspicious character they would check on their passports and search them thoroughly. Anyone caught dealing behind Ah Kong's back would be punished and those who snitched will be awarded a cut from the drug seized.[citation needed]
Fall of Ah Kong
This section possibly contains original research. (September 2014) |
In 1997, Dennis received a call from a female friend asking to meet up. Thinking that he was to meet just a female friend, Dennis went alone and was gunned down inside his car by two submachine gun-wielding men on motorbikes. The killing was headline news on the front of all the major newspapers in the Netherlands. The female friend's family was heavily in debts but a few days before the assassination, the debts were mysteriously cleared. Siam-kia announced that he was the one who had ordered the hit. However, some people from the inner-circle discredited his claim and some said that the leader of the Sin Ma gang had a part in the conspiracy.
Henry, the second-in-command of Ah Kong, was automatically promoted to become the new leader. Henry had risen from the rank of an enforcer and had limited connections. He did not enjoy a good relationship with his peers and had little support from them, thus rendering him rather useless. He was fond of gambling at the casinos and loved to go to karaokes. He did not show much enthusiasm in seeking revenge for his predecessor, Dennis. The Ah Kong based in Thailand, in charge of transporting the drugs to Europe, refused to send shipments as a protest of his leadership. The Company's fund was drained and Ah Kong slowly disbanded.
In 1998, Johnny was released from prison for the second time. He had been framed by a small-time Malaysian heroin trafficker and spent more than four years in a
In 1999, Johnny was found dead, at the age of 53, in a hotel room in
Henry joined Jack's crew, the Ah Kong old-timer who was on bad terms with Siam-kia, until Jack died of a heart attack.
In 2009, Roland Tan and his Singaporean friend, known as Ah M, who had flown to the Danish capital to celebrate his 61st birthday party, was shot by his own man, a Vietnamese called Nguyen Phi Hung. The attack took place after Tan had closed his popular Restaurant Bali at Kongens Nytorv square, the heart of Copenhagen's shopping district. He was shot in the shoulder but his friend was shot in the chest and was in a critical condition. Danish media reported that about 40 young people turned up at the hospital after the two men were admitted in an apparent show of support.
Danish police have stated that the shooting was over a "personal matter" between the gunman and Tan, and that there was a brief exchange between the two men before the shooting. Roland was described as the most powerful Chinese businessman in Denmark by Danish tabloid, Ekstra Bladet. Tan had previously been questioned by police in connection with several serious crimes, including drug dealing, blackmail and murder, according to Danish news reports.
Roland Tan owned Restaurant Bali, a restaurant serving Indonesian and Singaporean food, and a few other restaurants in Copenhagen. The Danish branch of the Hells Angels biker gang, whose activities revolve around drugs and prostitution, had held parties at the restaurant.[11] He passed away at age 72 in April 2020 from a heart attack.[12]
Henry returned to Singapore. He had contracted cancer and died in March 2010 at the age of 58. He jumped to his death because he was unable to tolerate the pain of his illness. During Henry's prime, he was a fearsome enforcer respected by many but his last days in Amsterdam was a sad story. He was beaten up by the Mainland Chinese gang while he was weak and ailing and had no one by his side. He took the humiliation as he was helpless. He realized it was all over for him and left the city where he once shined. He was the last official Ah Kong boss.
Present
This section possibly contains original research. (September 2014) |
Although Ah Kong's glory days are over, there are still active Ah Kong members who operate individually or in very small groups and are lying very low. They are scattered all over Europe, Asia, and Australia; and some others have joined other groups.
Over the years, there have been many reports of Ah Kong in the press but not all have been accurate.
Television
Ah Kong was featured in the 1996
See also
Notes
- ^ A colloquial term for organized crime groups.
References
- ^ "Secret Societies". The Straits Times. 23 February 1954. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- ^ "Police get secrets of thugs". The Straits Times. 14 October 1958. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- ^ "Two men who can help police". The Straits Times. 16 April 1970. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- ^ Amoruso, David (16 June 2008). "Profile of Triad boss Chung Mon". Gangsters Inc.
- ^ "Mr Big lying low in Danish capital". The Straits Times. 27 July 1979. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- ^ "The Bureau's Fight for a #DrugFreeSG" (PDF). Central Narcotics Bureau - 50th anniversary Commemorative Book.
- ^ Lai Yew Kong (10 April 1982). "The Company which ruled drug empire ruthlessly". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- ^ "WORLD DRUG RING CRACKED". The Straits Times. 11 September 1978.
- ^ "How CNB helped to crack world drug ring". The Straits Times. 10 April 1982.
- ^ Wai, Ronnie (17 August 1979). "German jurists conduct public inquiry". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 – via National Library, Singapore.
- Today– via SgForums.com.
- ^ Lim, Joyce (10 May 2020). "Once Singapore's most wanted, gangster Roland Tan dies after 51 years on the run". The Straits Times.
Sources
- Appleton, Peter L. & Clark, Doug (1990). Billion $$$ High: The drug invasion of Canada. Montreal: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
- Lynne Rienner.
- Booth, Martin (1999). The Dragon Syndicates – The Global Phenomenon of the Triads. London, UK: Doubleday.
- Bresler, Fenton S. (1980). The Chinese Mafia. New York City: Stein & Day.
- Bresler, Fenton S. (1980). The Trail of the Triads: An Investigation into International Crime. London, UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
- Brown, S. (2007). Killing Fields Amsterdam. Rijswijk: Elmar.
- Ooi Boon Tan (2006). Slaying the Dragon: Singapore's fight against drugs. Singapore: SNP Editions.
- Posner, Gerald L. (1988). Warlords of Crime: Chinese secret societies – The new Mafia. New York City: McGraw-Hill.
- Yiu-Kong Chu (1996). International Triad Movements: The threat of Chinese organised crime. London, UK: Research Institute for the Study of Conflict and Terrorism.
- Yiu-Kong Chu (2001). The Triads as Business. London, UK: Routledge.