More than 90 people were detained during during a crackdown on organized crime gangs last week, including wanted gangster Chiang Li-jen (姜禮仁), National Police Agency (NPA) officials said yesterday.
Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) agents and police conducted sweeps in cities nationwide, netting alleged senior figures as well as mid-level and junior members of gangs, they said.
The campaign was launched following the Sept. 24 attack on three university students, allegedly by Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP) members after the “Sing! China: Shanghai-Taipei Music Festival” was called off early, as evidence suggested that a number of CUPP members were affiliated with organized crime gangs, CIB officials said.
The campaign included raids on nightclubs and entertainment premises believed to have ties to the underworld and frequented by alleged gang members to check the IDs of patrons and staff.
Specific locations were also raided looking for narcotics, firearms and other contraband items.
Chiang was found at a hideout in Miaoli County, where illegal firearms and hundreds of bullets were also discovered, CIB Fifth Investigation Unit Captain Lai Ying-men (賴英門) said.
An alleged crime boss in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), Chiang had been on the run for more than a year to avoid serving a prison sentence.
He has allegedly been involved in extortion, blackmail, loan sharking, debt collection and other gang-related businesses and was known to carry a gun, authorities said.
A special police force staked out Chiang’s hiding place early on Saturday morning, waiting to ensure he was asleep before storming inside, police said.
Officers reportedly found a Glock semi-automatic handgun by Chiang’s bedside, a short-barreled shotgun, more than 200 bullets and tools to modifyg firearms.
Chiang, 50, has prior convictions for extortion, attempted murder and possession of illegal firearms, Lai said, adding that he was facing an 11-year prison sentence when he went into hiding.
He reportedly changed locations to avoid capture after being put on the wanted list, Lai said.
Chiang admitted to owning the handguns and the bullets, but would not say where or how he obtained them, Lai said.
Investigators are looking into his financial resources while he was in hiding and whether he had any accomplices while on the lam.
Prosecutors in Miaoli plan to press charges against Chiang for illegal possession of firearms and other offenses, Lai said.
In his younger days, Chiang was part of the “Huasi Street Gang” (華西街幫) in Wanhua headed by Lu Jung-hui (呂榮輝), which became a major force through its control of prostitution, loan sharking and other illegal activities, he said.
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