Wo Shing Wo
The Wo Shing Wo is active in Dublin and Cork. Triads gained a firm foothold in Ireland in the 1980s, when large numbers of Chinese restaurants opened in these cities. Leaked diplomatic cables obtained by the "Irish Independent" in 2011 included intelligence reports by the "Garda Síochána" (Irish police) on Chinese organized crime in the country, specifically the activities of the Wo Shing Wo and their rival 14K. The reported criminal activities of the triads included the trafficking of women and children from China into Ireland, involvement in casinos, and money laundering. Gardaí also reported a great deal of interaction between the Chinese gangs operating in Ireland and Scotland. In March 2002, four self-confessed Wo Shing Wo members were deported from Ireland after being involved in several assaults and robberies in Dublin. Eight people believed to be working for the Wo Shing Wo, including a senior member of the gang, were arrested after local gardaí and members of the Garda National Drug Unit raided cannabis-growing operations at two homes in Drumshambo, County Leitrim in March 2009. In November 2012, 113 mostly Chinese and Vietnamese nationals were arrested in raids on 236 properties, suspected of growing, smuggling and selling cannabis in Ireland. Many of those arrested were believed to be connected to the Wo Shing Wo and operating under the orders of gang leaders in the UK.