In late December 1998, a violent kidnapping for ransom occurred in Richmond. Police rescued an 18 year old girl who had been beaten, drugged and sexually assaulted. In a media interview, a member of the New York City Police Department, who has dealt with numerous Asian kidnappings, warned that immigrants from Hong Kong could become a primary focus for kidnapping by Asian criminal gangs because many are believed to have moved their financial empires to British Columbia. Violence continues to be used by AOC to settle internal disputes. In June 1998, the leader of one of the most active Vietnamese gangs operating in southern British Columbia was murdered.
Vietnamese criminals continue to exploit lax sentencing for property crimes.
Large scale shoplifting networks run by AOC continue to act as suppliers to property houses where the stolen goods are sold at a large discount to a select market. These operations earn millions of dollars and often involve repeat offenders. The criminal profits of these organizations are investigated by Proceeds of Crime units. ICBC is now beginning to use the courts in an attempt to deter these groups by taking the profit out of their criminal enterprises. The cell distributed the notes to other criminal groups throughout the province, including Indo-Canadian drug trafficking organizations.