Ah Kong

Ah Kong (Chinese: 阿公) was an organized crime gang involved in its main trade of drugs and used to control the European heroin trade in the 1970s to 1990s. It was one of the world's largest drug syndicates with its origin from Singapore but was based in the drug capital of the world, Amsterdam, the 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. The Netherlands is a haven for criminals because of their liberal laws and a gateway to one of the largest drug consumer markets in the world, Europe. 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 had never been based in Singapore. It was also known to have had Malaysian Chinese members and had Thai and Indonesian connections, 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 Chinese Singaporeans and spoke Hokkien although they were overseas-based. It was formed when several members of See Tong (which mean 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 notorious gang received more members joining them. These new members had had military training that was acquired while doing their rigorous National Service stint.

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.