According to police from Guangdong Province, the criminal gang was allegedly headed by Zheng Huiqiang, a member of a secret society in Hong Kong called 14K. The secret society controlled most of brothels in eastern Kowloon and Monk Kok.

Leading members of the gang colluded with criminals in Huizhou, Shanwei, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, all in Guangdong Province. They sent young women to Hong Kong by cheating, luring or coercing them. The women were forced to become prostitutes in brothels run by 14K.

Tuesday's arrests followed a careful investigation of about three months by Guangdong and Hong Kong police.

In Shenzhen, 41 suspects were arrested, including 23 alleged members of Hong Kong secret societies and 15 locals. Chief suspect Zheng Huiqiang and 212 other suspects were arrested in 49 brothels in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong police also froze a total of HK$80 million (US$10 million) in cash and other assets such as buildings owned by alleged members of the criminal gang.

According to the police, the suspects in Hong Kong and Guangdong smuggled the women to Hong Kong by sea or land or used fake passports and travel documents to get the women through customs.

In Hong Kong, the women were forced to take part in pornographic pictures or videos and then become prostitutes in brothels.

Most of their income was taken by the criminal gang, which got tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars every month.

Any woman who refused was beaten, locked up and even raped. The women's health deteriorated and some of them suffered mental disorders.

Guangdong police said the "successful destruction" of the large cross-border criminal gang, in conjunction with Hong Kong police, showed the strong determination of both sides to crack crime.

An official from the Guangdong Public Security Bureau, who refused to give his name, said: "We will strengthen our cooperation in seriously cracking cross-border crime in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong and create good public order in both places."

(China Daily May 9, 2002)