阿公 | |
| Founded | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Founding location | Singapore |
| Years active | 1970s–1990s |
| Territory | Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Bangkok, Thailand; Areas of influence – Europe |
| Ethnicity | Mainly Singaporean Chinese, with some Malaysian Chinese, Indonesian Chinese, Thai Chinese and Dutch |
| Membership (est.) | Hundreds |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, loansharking, bookmaking, gambling |
| Rivals | 14K |
Ah Kong (Chinese: 阿公) was an organised crime and drugs syndicate that used to extensively control the European heroin trade in the 1970s to 1990s. Originating from Singapore, it was one of the world's largest drug syndicates, having been mainly based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Bangkok, Thailand, where they received their drug supplies. The production of heroin was at an area known as the Golden Triangle formed by Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Ah Kong was not a triad but a fearsome organized crime gang that was renowned all over Asia and Europe.
Although Ah Kong was based in Amsterdam and Bangkok, it had operations in other major European cities and the Asia-Pacific. Ah Kong, which means "The Company" or short for kongsi in Hokkien, was never that influential in their home country of Singapore despite its founding members being from there, due to the country's strict anti-drug policies and the successful crackdown on secret societies[a] there. It was also known to have had connections with other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, and over the years they had built strong ties with the infamous Penang-based Sio Sam Ong.
Most of the members of Ah Kong were Singaporean Chinese and spoke Hokkien although they were overseas-based. It was formed when several members of See Tong (which means buddies or a group of close friends) killed and seriously injured members of their rival gang in a gang clash, and escaped to the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, the gang received more members joining them. These new members had military training that was acquired while doing their rigorous National Service (NS) stint in Singapore.
After the assassination of the Ah Kong boss in 1997, they began to lose their influence to the Sin Ma gang based in Rotterdam led by a Singaporean fugitive wanted for first-degree murder with firearm in the 1980s. The last official Ah Kong boss died in March 2010. Roland Tan died in 2020.
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