Chinese triads are being directed by Beijing to spy in the UK and could use brothels to blackmail MPs, report warns

Published: 23:34, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 23:39, 7 June 2026 Chinese triads are being ordered by Beijing to carry out espionage operations in the UK, a newly declassified report has found. Notorious gangs that make billions of pounds by running brothels and selling illicit tobacco across the country are now being 'backed' by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a 'significant threat to national security', the Home Office research shows. The report, which is based on interviews with officials from 14 different law enforcement agencies, warns that triads could even use their network of brothels around the UK to 'blackmail' MPs. It comes after a Chinese spy ring was convicted of carrying out 'shadow policing' operations on behalf of Beijing. Evidence heard during the landmark trial at the Old Bailey suggested that Chinese gangs violently targeted pro-democracy activists during a protest in the UK in 2021. A suspected member of triad group Wo Shing Wo was arrested during a wave of raids on Honk Kong. The group is known to be active in Britain Despite the rising threat, a former Met officer who specialised in organised crime told The Mail on Sunday that police 'took their eye off the ball' regarding the danger posed by triads. The brutal Chinese crime syndicates have flourished in Britain since the 1940s and are now the second biggest type of organised crime group in the UK, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Traditionally, their focus has been on labour and sexual exploitation, money laundering, and the illicit cannabis and tobacco trade. But the declassified report by David Wilson, a regional co-ordinator for the organised immigration crime domestic taskforce at West Midlands police, found that growing links between triads and the CCP had 'changed the issue of Chinese organised crime from being one of a solely criminal nature to that of a national security issue'. The report warned this meant Beijing could now use triads to facilitate espionage in the UK, as well as 'cybercrime, data theft, or infiltration of UK institutions' by 'funding political influence campaigns' and 'bribing officials'. The report added that Chinese 'control of sex work and brothels could be leveraged for intelligence gathering, blackmail, and coercion against influential individuals in the UK'. It concluded that evidence of the CCP's 'direction' of triads, alongside 'the sheer scale of their activities, and the lack of effective law enforcement response' made 'Chinese organised crime a significant threat to national security'. But the report found that few police forces knew about Chinese organised crime and triad members were evading justice because of a lack of Chinese speakers within law enforcement. In response to the findings, David McKelvey, a former detective chief inspector with the Metropolitan police and expert on organised crime, said police 'took their eye off the ball' when they dismantled specialist units more than a decade ago. He said a recent move by triads into the production of class A controlled opioid fentanyl and a growing awareness of human trafficking had brought them back to the attention of the authorities. But police are now playing catch up, McKelvey warned. 'There is clearly a very strong link between Chinese organised crime and the Chinese state,' he told the Mail on Sunday. 'These are the most sophisticated organised crime operations that I've seen.' McKelvey, who now runs a private investigations firm, gave evidence during the Old Bailey trial due to his knowledge of one of the defendants, Home Office immigration official Peter Wai. Peter Wai arriving at the Old Bailey, where he has been found guilty of running a Chinese 'state intelligence service' on British soil while working as a UK Border Force officer Wai was tasked with gathering intelligence for Hong Kong authorities by Bill Yuen (pictured) Wai and retired Hong Kong police officer Bill Yuen were found to have spied on Chinese dissidents living in the UK and senior MPs who supported them, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith. In a shocking breach of national security, Wai used his privileged access to Home Office databases to supply intelligence to Beijing. Wai exploited the civil service's remote working policy to access the database on his days off, the court heard. During the trial, the jury was shown correspondence between Wai and his Chinese handler that suggested the infamous 14K triad had targeted pro-democracy activists in the UK. Other messages alleged that the owner of a well-known Chinese restaurant chain in London had been a member of the 14K triad in Hong Kong and may have been tapped up to assist the gang in their campaign of intimidation. The trial also heard that eight other suspected spies were released after police failed to translate the contents of their phones and laptops before the 14-day statutory detention limit was reached. The suspects returned to China. A Home Office spokesman said: 'We challenge China directly for actions which put the safety of people in our country at risk and will hold them to account. 'We have stepped up efforts to combat international organised crime groups by introducing a world class National Police Service. It brings together specialist capabilities and best-in-class technology. This will bolster action to detect and disrupt the most dangerous criminals. 'The National Crime Agency continues to strengthen understanding of overseas networks in China.' The founder of a popular restaurant chain that is said to serve London's best dim sum has alleged links to a notorious Chinese triad, it emerged during the trial of a China spy ring. To Ming Lam, 73, set up the Royal China Group, which runs Chinese restaurants across the capital frequented by Michelin-starred chefs. But evidence heard during a two-month Old Bailey trial that led to the convictions of two Chinese spies suggested that Mr Lam was a member of the notorious 14K triad in Hong Kong, although this was not evidence of criminal conduct. To Ming Lam, 73, (centre) set up the Royal China Group, which runs Chinese restaurants in London. A court heard that Mr Lam was a member of the notorious 14K triad in Hong Kong Messages between one of the spies, Peter Wai, and his Chinese handler referred to him as 'Bulls*** Dou Ming Lam, the boss of the Royal China Group'. The Chinese handler then explained that Mr Lam 'was known' to have been in the 14K and that a triad boss 'might have asked him for help' in targeting a Chinese dissident living in the UK. There was no evidence to suggest Mr Lam did so or was involved in espionage or any other criminal activities. Mr Lam also owns the Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall in Colindale, north London, a large Chinese cultural community centre where Wai ran a lion dance troupe. Evidence heard at the trial also suggested that Wai worked as a security guard for one of Mr Lam's family businesses. Separate research by UK China Transparency shows that Mr Lam also runs an organisation with close links to the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, where the second convicted spy, Bill Yuen, worked as office manager. Through this relationship, Mr Lam has been pictured repeatedly with Yuen at various events. There is no suggestion that Mr Lam was involved in the crimes which the two men were found guilty of. Mr Lam also has links to the Heung Yee Kuk, an advisory body in Hong Kong that benefits from both government authority and triad connections, often acting as a bridge between the two, according to the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. In 2024, the Royal China Group was fined almost half a million pounds after at least 20 illegal workers were arrested at its Baker Street office in a series of Home Office raids. The Mail on Sunday has contacted Mr Lam for comment. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.