United Bamboo Gang: From outcasts to global power

In Taiwan's major cities, the United Bamboo Gang, also known as Zhulianbang, has evolved from a group of young outcasts into one of the world's most feared examples of organized crime. With roots in the political chaos of the 1950s and a sinister alliance with the then-Kuomintang regime, this mafia-like group has not only dominated Taiwan's underworld. It has also played a crucial role in international drug trafficking, money laundering, and political manipulation, including corruption, for decades. Their history is marked by bloody power struggles, high-profile murders – often considered high-profile cases – and a symbiosis between state power and gang crime that reveals a shocking network. Recently declassified documents estimate that over 20,000 members continue to operate globally, supported by advanced networks in finance and cybercrime. The story of the United Bamboo Gang is a tale of survival, brutality, and a disturbing integration into society's highest echelons.

Yonghe to Vegas: Gang's Rise in 1957 and 1968 Revamp

The United Bamboo Gang's history begins in 1957. In the Yonghe District of Taipei, young *waishengren* – children of Chinese refugees who had come to Taiwan with the Kuomintang – formed a group to protect themselves from local Taiwanese gangs. They organized on Bamboo Road under the leadership of Chen Chi-li, also known as 'King Duck.' These marginalized youths quickly built a reputation for brutal efficiency. A decisive step was taken in 1968 when leader Zhang An-lo, nicknamed 'White Wolf,' reorganized the gang according to a strict military hierarchy inspired by the Qing Dynasty. This structure enabled rapid expansion to over 100 chapters. With the outbreak of the Vietnam War and the influx of American soldiers on R&R in Taipei, new revenue opportunities arose. The gang secured protection for nightclubs and casinos against rival groups. Income from gambling and prostitution financed their first international move: establishing a chapter in Las Vegas, USA, in 1968 under Zhang An-lo's leadership. Simultaneously, the Kuomintang began systematically recruiting gang members into intelligence services, a practice formalized through recruitment programs at military academies.

2020: Gang's Infiltration of Kuomintang Exposed

The deep and disturbing connection between the Kuomintang and the United Bamboo Gang was truly illuminated when declassified documents from the Taiwan Garrison Command in 2020 revealed a frightening level of infiltration and corruption. At least 19 high-ranking positions within the National Security Bureau, the military, and the judiciary were occupied by United Bamboo Gang members between 1960 and 1984. The most notorious example of this alliance was the murder of Taiwanese-American journalist Henry Liu in 1984. Liu, an outspoken critic of Chiang Ching-kuo and his family, was murdered by assassins hired by the United Bamboo Gang on the orders of Chiang Ching-kuo's son, Chiang Hsiao-wu. This murder exposed the triad's role as the government's unofficial and brutal enforcers, and the case sparked numerous conspiracy theories about state involvement. The collaboration intensified during the Cold War, a period when intelligence agencies, possibly including the CIA, operated in the shadows against communist targets. Here, the United Bamboo Gang, often in cooperation with groups like the 'Iron Blood Patriots,' established heroin routes with drugs from the Golden Triangle to the USA. Taiwan's intelligence service protected these operations from international law enforcement in exchange for a portion of the profits being channeled to fund black operations. This alliance even survived Taiwan's democratization process in the 1990s, with the triad adapting by infiltrating political parties and media companies to maintain its influence.

Post-2000: Gang expands into cyberwarfare and drugs

After the turn of the millennium, the United Bamboo Gang radically diversified its activities, especially in financial crime. According to FBI reports from 2023, they now operate through a complex network of shell companies in financial centers like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vancouver. These companies are used to launder up to USD 8 billion annually, increasingly via cryptocurrencies. Their narcotics operations have expanded to producing synthetic drugs in laboratories in Cambodia, which are distributed globally through advanced networks often disguised as legitimate pharmaceutical companies on e-commerce platforms. A significant new front is cybercrime. In 2024, Taiwanese police reported a coordinated attack on 23 financial institutions, where ransomware attacks were combined with traditional extortion. Through control or infiltration of the telecommunications sector, the triad has also established sophisticated Phishing-as-a-Service networks, which they rent out to other criminal groups, further expanding their reach and earnings within organized crime.

Legal Countermoves: Kidnapping and tricky recruitment

However, the long arm of the law has also reached out to combat this form of gang crime. The latest major crackdown occurred in April 2025, when Taiwanese police in Taipei arrested 15 members of the Jing'an chapter for drug trafficking and violent debt collection. Raids in Taipei and New Taipei City led to the seizure of large quantities of ketamine and modified handguns. Another sensational high-profile case in Changhua involved the kidnapping of fake money couriers, who were allegedly subjected to torture, including waterboarding and electric shocks, in abandoned factories. Despite these setbacks, court documents show that the organization is quick to recruit new members, often via social media platforms. A particularly concerning method involves pseudo-legal 'mentorship programs,' where young offenders are offered legal protection against testifying in exchange for loyalty and future recruitment into the United Bamboo Gang.

Victims' voices (2024): Murder and child recruitment

Behind the statistics and large transactions that characterize the United Bamboo Gang's activities lie human tragedies. In 2024, an undercover journalist interviewed 23 family members of triad victims. A widow from Taichung recounted how her husband was subjected to a cold-blooded murder with a poison syringe because he refused to falsify accounts for a triad-controlled construction company. Their 14-year-old son was later recruited as a drug courier through an online game that served as a recruitment platform. Psychologists have documented a cycle of 'generational trauma,' where children of triad members have a significantly higher risk of becoming involved in organized crime themselves – a review of 500 imprisoned members showed that 68% had experienced domestic violence as children, highlighting the socioeconomic factors behind continued recruitment.

Future battle: AI, quantum computing, hacker threats

The future fight against the United Bamboo Gang presents complex challenges, especially in technology and cybercrime. Taiwan's National Police Agency launched an initiative in 2025 with AI-powered network analyzers to track money laundering and cash flows, but the triad is countering by engaging experts in quantum computing to encrypt their communications. A worrying trend is their partnerships with North Korean hacker groups, which offer access to bitcoin mining facilities in exchange for protection from South Korean authorities. Legal experts emphasize that the most effective strategy against this type of international organized crime lies in international cooperation. A joint ASEAN-Taiwan task force, established in 2024, has already seized triad assets worth USD 120 million in the Philippines and Malaysia. However, with China's continued diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, full mutual legal assistance and extradition agreements remain a challenge in the fight against corruption and crime.

Bamboo Gang legacy: Taiwan's complex past and future

The history of the United Bamboo Gang reflects Taiwan's complex political and social development. From being a survival mechanism for marginalized youth to becoming a global power in organized crime, their ability to adapt to shifting power dynamics, technological advancements, and political landscapes is evident. While recent court cases show the law's potential, the triad's deeply integrated networks in both legal economic and political structures – a form of systemic corruption – underscore that combating them requires more than traditional policing. The future fight against this shadow organization, operating as an international mafia, will depend on strengthened international cooperation, more robust financial regulation to combat money laundering, and a deeper understanding of the socioeconomic factors that continue to drive the recruitment of a new generation of members into this form of gang crime.

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