Sham Shui Po joint raid arrests 14 over vice and gambling
On.cc · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Police in Sham Shui Po said they had identified criminal groups using industrial building units to run illegal venues and other unlawful activities, prompting a joint enforcement operation code-named Blazingzone from October 27 to November 2. Officers and customs personnel raided multiple units and said they dismantled two suspected illegal gambling dens, one suspected illicit cigarette storage site, one suspected vice establishment and one suspected unlicensed massage parlour. A total of 14 people were arrested, including six local men, seven local women and one woman from Macau, aged between 33 and 78. Nine of those arrested have been charged and are due to appear at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on November 5, 27 and 28, while the others were released on bail pending further inquiries.
Key Points
- The operation was conducted in Sham Shui Po between October 27 and November 2 after police intelligence analysis and an in-depth investigation.
- Raids on industrial building units uncovered two suspected gambling dens, a suspected illicit cigarette warehouse, a suspected vice venue and a suspected unlicensed massage parlour.
- Those arrested were suspected of offences including managing a vice establishment, assisting in its management, operating an unlicensed massage parlour and running a gambling venue.
- Police also cited suspected gambling at a gambling venue, overstaying, and breaches of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance and Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance.
- Officers seized about 120,000 duty-unpaid cigarettes and about 26,200 alternative smoking products, with an estimated market value of HK$600,000 and duty of HK$400,000.
Why It Matters
The case points to continued enforcement pressure on illegal activities operating inside industrial buildings, which police said were being used for gambling, vice and storage of suspected illicit tobacco products. It also serves as a warning to owners and tenants of industrial units that, if investigations show they knew about illegal activities on the premises, they may still face criminal liability even without direct participation