Reporters Guo Ying and Wu Yuya / Photography Chen Yingren and Cai Mingxun / Editor-in-Chief News Center Report
Published: 2025/08/19 18:18
Last Updated: 2025/08/19 21:31
Taiwan’s first “tax investigation” to apprehend a gang leader! Prosecutors and police launched Operation Anti-gang 2.0, shifting from tracing the source of violent crimes to investigating taxation instead. They successfully arrested over 20 people, including the brothers “Iron Tyrant,” the leader of the Tiandao League, and the Sun Alliance Vice Leader. Investment companies under their names were found to be involved in gambling-related money laundering, with the combined funds flowing into the two factions reaching as much as NT$1 billion!
Over a hundred officers were mobilized for this anti-gang operation, resulting in over 20 arrests. Tseng Ying-fu, the leader of the Tiandao Alliance known as “Iron Tyrant,” was cuffed and taken to the New Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office. Before boarding the vehicle, Tseng Ying-fu stated that he had not laundered any money. In addition to the Iron Tyrant brothers, Hong Rui-hong, the vice-leader of the Sun Alliance known as “Michael,” was also arrested in the operation.
After a one-year and three-month investigation, police discovered that “Iron Tyrant” and “Michael” each operated an investment company, each approximately five to ten years old. Associates within these companies were involved in gambling-related money laundering, laundering funds from abroad back to Taiwan through corporate remittances, foreign exchange, and cryptocurrencies.
The combined total flow of funds from the two factions was approximately NT$1 billion.
Wang Po-Chi,associate professor at the Department and Graduate Institute of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University, believes that this type of tax audit can identify the bookkeepers or accountants of criminal gangs, making it easier to trace the flow of funds. He stated that as long as the money is not transferred through illegal means, it can be traced and detected.
Mafia investment companies have adopted a corporatist approach, producing false accounting and financial reports. This is why mafia bosses continue to enjoy wealth and luxury despite countless arrests. Only by cutting off the financial flow at its source can the mafia’s power be completely dismantled. This innovative tax inspection and gang arrest model has opened up a new direction for Taiwan’s anti-gang operations.