Triad (organized crime)
Triad members arrested in Siam | |
| Named after | Union of Heaven, Earth and Man, Chinese mythology, and traditional folk religion customs |
|---|---|
| Founding location | China (Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou) |
| Territory | Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, North America, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, South Africa and Russia |
| Ethnicity | Han Chinese |
| Activities | Extortion, protection, murder, assault, racketeering, human trafficking, sex trafficking, illegal gambling, loan sharking, counterfeiting, copyright infringement, kidnapping, robbery, Chinese film and music industries, especially Hong Kong film and music industries, Taiwanese Film and music industries, drug trafficking, money laundering, arms trafficking, health care fraud and immigration fraud |
A triad (simplified Chinese: 三合会; traditional Chinese: 三合會; pinyin: sān hé huì; Cantonese Yale: sāam hahp wúi) is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China with outposts in various countries having significant overseas Chinese populations.
The triads originated from secret societies formed in the 18th and 19th centuries, some influenced by white lotus societies of the 14th century, with the intent of overthrowing the foreign then-ruling Qing dynasty. In the 20th century, triads were enlisted by the Kuomintang (KMT) during the Republican era to attack political enemies, including assassinations. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China and subsequent crackdowns, triads and their operations flourished in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities. Since the Chinese economic reform, triads and other triad-like "black societies" re-emerged in mainland China. In modern times, triads overseas have been reported to have connections to the government of the People's Republic of China.