Taipei police yesterday announced that several alleged gangsters had been arrested, as well as a leader of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP), Kung Ching-chun (孔慶駿).
Officials said they had uncovered concrete evidence of links and working relationships between major criminal gangs and the CUPP.
In a crackdown on organized crime in the past week, law enforcement agencies have, in addition to Kung, detained a number alleged gangsters on criminal charges, including Sung Hsien-hsiang (宋憲庠) and Peng Ma Jen-chih (彭馬潤智), said to be junior leaders of the Four Seas Gang (四海幫), and Lin Chun-hsiang (林鈞庠), who allegedly headed up a local chapter of the Bamboo Union (竹聯幫).
Photo: Liu Ching-hou, Taipei Times
Police said that Kung worked with Lin Chun-hsiang and other gangsters to provide illegal loans and debt collecting activities, resorting to physical violence to force people to repay the high-interest loans.
Kung also allegedly worked with his girlfriend to entrap male clients looking for prostitutes.
In one case, Kung allegedly demanded that a victim pay NT$6 million (US$198,170) compensation for having sex with his girlfriend, Taipei Police criminal investigation No. 2 unit captain Lin Yuan-cheng (林淵城) said.
“Kung heads a youth wing of the CUPP and he allegedly had a close working relationship with other known members of major gangs. He also allegedly engaged in violent conduct in the gang’s illegal business operations,” Lin said.
This is the latest proof of the CUPP’s links to organized crime, which has also been documented in past investigations, police said.
“We will continue to crackdown on these criminals,” National Police Agency Director Chen Chia-chin (陳家欽) said. “We will fully investigate these cases, to prevent these criminal gangs hiding behind a political party. We cannot allow these illegal activities, which are being carried out in the guise of a legal political organization.”
Police officers displayed photographs of Kung receiving his CUPP membership certificate from CUPP Chairman Chang An-le (張安樂), founder of the Bamboo Union, who reportedly has connections to other major gang leaders.
When Sung and Peng Ma were detained they had name cards of CUPP executives in their possession, police said, and they are also suspected of having links to the CUPP.
Sung and Peng Ma allegedly operated illegal businesses in New Taipei City, including sales of narcotics, extortion, illegal loans and financial fraud schemes.
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