Organized crime in Taiwan

The organized crime societies, often referred to as Taiwanese triads or gangs, are involved in racketeering, drug trafficking, assassination, and various other illegal activities.

[4] In 2020, declassified documents showed that the Bamboo Union had close ties with the Kuomintang (KMT) government and Chiang Kai-shek family during the martial law period known as White Terror.

[6] Former leader Chang An-lo confirmed the 1984 plot to assassinate writer Henry Liu after his publication of an unauthorized biography of president Chiang Ching-kuo.

[7] In response to the public outcry over Liu's murder, the government carried out Operation Clean Sweep, a widespread crackdown that led to the arrest of 2,346 gangsters and confiscation of large quantities of guns and knives.

[4][8] After martial law was lifted in 1987, organized crime saw a surge in the supply of smuggled guns and drugs, resulting from a reduction in maritime patrols.

[8] In recent years, gang groups have expanded operations "by engaging in telecom fraud, online gambling, cross-border money laundering, arms and drugs trafficking, and other crimes" according to government officials.

[11] Netflix series The Brothers Sun (2024) starring Michelle Yeoh is also in the gangster genre that portrays the organized crime underworld of Taiwan.