NCJ Number
145163
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 60 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1993) Pages: 65-66,68,70,72
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This overview of Asian organized crime (AOC) in America discusses relevant law enforcement problems, the similarities between La Cosa Nostra (LCN) and AOC, and how prosecution techniques that are successful with LCN can be effective with AOC.
Abstract
Triads are the oldest of the Chinese organized crime groups active in the United States. Triads evolved from secret societies originally formed as resistance groups to the Manchu dynasty. Most Triad societies participate in a wide range of criminal activities, including money laundering, drug trafficking, gambling, extortion, prostitution, loan sharking, pornography, alien smuggling, and various protection schemes. The author briefly describes the most active Triads in the United States. The Tongs, which originated from the Triad societies of China, are business and fraternal organizations active in may cities with large Chinese populations. Triads and Tongs are similarly organized and have many similar ceremonies and traditions. Vietnamese organized crime groups consist of two categories: roving bands and local groups. Roving bands travel from one Vietnamese community to another throughout North American and have a propensity for violence. Local groups establish their "turf" in particular Vietnamese communities and use violence to protect it. The Japanese organized crime group known as Yukuza or Boryokudan consists of over 3,000 groups with a membership of approximately 86,000 members. The primary law enforcement problems with AOC groups are cultural and language differences between police personnel and the residents of neighborhoods in which AOC operate.