What did cops tell FBI about 14K triad?

 

The Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) had as early as 2008 identified three Malaysians as members of the 14K triad, a transnational organised crime entity.

They also found the 14K triad to be operating in Malaysia, with activities ranging from, illegal gambling, money laundering and drug trafficking.

These are among the contents of an internal document prepared by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), obtained by Malaysiakini.

The document was submitted as evidence in a US court case involving alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua Wei Seng.

One of the three Malaysians named as a 14K triad member by the Malaysian police, according to the FBI's legal attaché in Kuala Lumpur in the document, is Phua, who is a top earning junket operator in Macau.

US prosecutors, who believe Phua to be a 14K triad member, had slapped him with illegal gambling charges.

Phua came into spotlight in Malaysia after Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi wrote a letter dated Dec 18, 2014, to FBI deputy director Mark F Giuliano, insisting that Phua did not belong to the 14K triad.

The minister also claimed that Phua was assisting Malaysia on matters concerning national security and was "eager" for him return to Malaysia.

This is despite the statement coming in contradiction with what the Malaysian police had informed the FBI six years earlier - on June 11, 2008.

Is 14K triad operating in Malaysia?

Yesterday, veteran lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is acting for Phua in Malaysia, said the information by Malaysian police was "wrong" and the minister's letter to the FBI was merely to correct this at his law firm's request.

Shafee (left), who is a leading lawyer for Umno, also repeatedly insisted that the 14K triad does not exist in Malaysia.

According to the FBI Internal document, the agency said the 14K triad was primarily operating out of Bangkok, Thailand but further investigations identified "several key members of that organisation operating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia" with links to individuals in the US.

"On June 11, 2008, Legat (legal attaché) Kuala Lumpur received information from the RMP regarding the 14K triad.

"The RMP has identified the 14K triad as a local organised crime syndicate involved in illegal drugs, illegal gambling and money laundering activities in Malaysia," read the FBI document dated July 16, 2008.

According to the document, Malaysian police which identified Phua as a 14K triad member, determined that he resided in the US between November 2007 and January 2008 and also succeeded in obtaining his US contact number.

The Malaysian police then shared his phone number, as well as several more US contact numbers of other suspected Malaysian 14K triad members with the FBI's Kuala Lumpur legal attaché.

"On June 19, 2008, (FBI) Legat Kuala Lumpur passed the information regarding the above US telephone numbers to the Detroit, Las Vegas and New York FBI field offices with a request to obtain subscriber information and to conduct any other logical investigation deemed necessary," read the document.

Of the three suspected Malaysian 14K triad members identified by local police, only Phua's name was made public in the FBI document while the other two names were redacted for court submission.

The FBI said it was also informed by Malaysian police, that it strongly believes one of the three suspected 14K triad members, is the organisation's boss for Thailand.

'The boss' had M'sian passport
 
The document also cited information from the FBI's Bangkok legal attaché who said Thai authorities had identified a 14K triad member who went by the name of "the boss".

It is unclear if the individual referred to by the Malaysian and Thai authorities are the same person as the names are redacted.

However, Thai authorities said "the boss" possessed a Malaysian passport which was used to enter Thailand about eight times for several years leading up to 2008.

Malaysian police also identified the third suspected Malaysian 14K triad member to the FBI, but the name was also redacted in the document.

The police informed the FBI that the third individual had made 13 phone calls to a US number.

"The RMP suspects that [redacted] works in a travel agency making travel arrangements for 14K triad members," read the document.

The FBI's Kuala Lumpur legal attaché viewed the Malaysian police's cooperation positively, stating that it was an opportunity to develop a bilateral investigation and strengthening the working relationship with them.

"The RMP has indicated that it is open to sharing information with Legat KL in the development of the investigation of the 14K triad crime syndicate.

"Investigative resources will be expended to fully identify [redacted], (Paul Phua Wei) Seng, [redacted] and other members of the 14K triad organised crime syndicate, as well as the scope of their criminal activities in Malaysia and the United States," said the document.

Phua' lawyer, Shafee, yesterday insisted that the top poker player is not a triad member and is innocent of the charge slapped on him by the FBI.