Nicky had ties to feared underworld kingpin

Criminal connections: Broken Tooth (left) with Liow at an event. — Photo sourced from social media

KUALA LUMPUR: A man known as “Broken Tooth”, said to be linked to fugitive businessman Datuk Seri Nicky Liow Soon Hee, is feared in the underworld as he was once the “dragon head” or kingpin of the notorious 14K triad in Macau.

The 65-year-old ex-triad leader, whose real name is Wan Kouk Koi, was said to have fought his way out of the slums in Macau to rise up the ranks in the underworld.

His ascent was believed to have been strongly influenced by Chinese-Filipino gangster Ng Wai.

In his heyday, Broken Tooth was a high-profile character, described as indifferent and easily angered.

As he continued to gain prominence, tensions grew between him and Ng Wai, leading to a vicious turf war from 1996 to 1997.

In November 1999, Broken Tooth was sentenced to 15 years’ jail for illegal gambling, loan shark activities, criminal association, as well as the attempted car-bombing of a police chief.

On Dec 1,2012, he was released from prison.

In 2017, he backed a multi-million-dollar cryptocurrency “share” offer by a Macau gaming company.

The South China Morning Post reported that the initial offer plan was to raise US$500mil (RM2bil) in Hong Kong and bring blockchain technology to the gambling hub so that it would be closely connected to casino junket operators there.

Broken Tooth also founded the World Hongmen History and Culture Association and opened its headquarters in Cambodia in June 2018.

In an interview with the Macau News Agency then, he was quoted as saying that the association would set up schools to allow ethnic Chinese living abroad to learn Chinese culture.

On Tuesday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said the Johor police task force also found that Broken Tooth had a network with international drug supplier “Tse Chi Lop”, who was arrested in the Netherlands on Jan 24.

“Broken Tooth appointed Liow as the association’s vice-president in January 2019.

“Both Broken Tooth and his association have been blacklisted by the US Treasury Department for suspected involvement in international organised crimes and money laundering, ” said Abdul Hamid.

He added that Broken Tooth was also connected to a scandal involving shares in Inix Technologies.