Peter Huston

Tongs, Gangs, and Triads: Chinese Crime Groups in North America Peter Huston

The so-called Chinese Mafia has earned a reputation as one of the fiercest and most brutal in the seedy underworld of organized crime. Yet does such an organization even exist? Or is there instead a wide variety of Tongs, Gangs, and Triads stretching across not just Asia and North America, but the globe? Although such groups are most notorious, perhaps, for their control of the lucrative Southeast Asian drug trade, they are also known for involvement in illegal immigration, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, home invasions and crimes of all sorts. How much of this is Hollywood hype and how much is reality? And how can law enforcement and other interested parties overcome cultural barriers and gain an understanding of a criminal element that shrouds itself in secrecy a secrecy that has proved to be its strength for centuries? This book explores the rich Chinese tradition of tongs, gangs, triads and secret societies and their frequent involvement in organized crime, as well as their more recent and growing collusion with Chinatown street gangs. The result is a work that provides an excellent introduction to not just Chinese crime groups, but Chinese culture and history in general.