Cop goes undercover in school to trap Hong Kong triad gangsters

Jan 4, 2008, 3:57 GMT

Hong Kong - An undercover Hong Kong police officer posed as a 15-year-old schoolboy for four months to trap dozens of triad gangsters recruiting students, a news report said Friday.

The fresh-faced officer, whose real age and identity have been kept secret, provided information that led to the arrest of 117 people, the South China Morning Post reported.

He made friends with the gangsters operating in and around the school and watched them deal drugs, recruit students and beat up other students, according to testimony at the trial of one suspect.

At Thursday's hearing, a ringleader of the gang was jailed for 14 months after being convicted of drug trafficking, assault and engaging in triad-related activities, the newspaper said.

Five other defendants, aged 18 to 20, were given probation terms ranging from 12 to 18 months on similar charges. Dozens more suspects were expected to be brought to trial in the coming months.

The undercover officer posed as a student from October 2005 to January 2006, using a tactic from a 1991 movie featuring Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow called Fight Back to School.

Hong Kong's triad gangs are secret societies that operate drug-trafficking syndicates and protection rackets. Police estimate they are responsible for 3 per cent of all crime in the city.