Is China actually doing business with the triads now?
Yes. One of their biggest partners is the People’s Liberation Army, which is in partnership with the triads in the kinds of business that the triads know very well — for example, nightclubs and karaoke clubs. In Shanghai, both the PLA and the Public Security Bureau, China’s secret police, own nightclubs and even brothels with various triad groups. It’s believed that the PLA is involved in a number of smuggling enterprises with triad groups, including bootleg cigarettes, illegal aliens and possibly even arms smuggling and heroin smuggling to the United States. The PLA also has a number of above-ground businesses. It has a multibillion-dollar portfolio. It includes phone networks, hotels, restaurants and pro basketball teams, not to mention many businesses in the United States. And if the triads have the protection of the PLA, we’re talking about a rogue state here. We’re talking about the collusion of the world’s last great totalitarian power and the world’s largest criminal fraternity
