Paul Phua Was San Marino’s Ambassador to Montenegro and May Have Been a Member of the 14K Triad
The information which continues to surface about Paul Phua Wei-seng is more far-fetched all the time. According to the South China Morning Post, Paul Phua was San Marino’s ambassador to Montenegro for three years. Shortly after Phua was arrested for running an illegal sports betting operation at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, his diplomatic status was revoked. While these legal wranglings take place, gambling industry observers wonder how such a man could have become so deeply involved with the establishment.
Paul Phua currently is being held by the United States federal government. After a federal judge released Phua and his son, Darren, on $2.5 million bail, the Department of Homeland Security (ICE agents) picked him up and placed him custody in the Las Vegas area. Phua’s lawyers say the second arrest is an overstep by the executive branch’s authority, because they imposed on the judicial branch’s right to set bail.
When a man is worth $400 million, ambassadors are not so rare, even in the United States. That kind of money allows a person to donate money to campaigns and political causes, which is often repaid with honors and responsibilities in the diplomatic service. A citizen invested in the fortunes of a particular country has incentive to represent his or her country well.
Where Is San Marino?
Given that San Marino is a tiny city-state with a population of 32,576, the human resources the country can call upon is limited. In such cases, it’s might not be that odd that a country would employ non-citizens in a role as envoy. Most ambassadors to Montenegro are “non-resident ambassadors”, meaning they don’t actually live inside the country to which they are assigned. Despite these qualifiers, the fact that Paul Phua was a diplomatic envoy is nothing short of bizarre.
Paul Phua is a native of Malaysia, far removed from San Marino, an enclave which is found inside the confines of Italy. He is a known poker professional, close enough friends with Phil Ivey that Ivey posted $1 million bail after Phua’s recent arrest. Once again, none of this is so strange, given that Phua is a high-stakes poker player in the top live games in the world. Phil Ivey and his friends are likely to meet a lot of wealth gamblers in such settings, and gambling shouldn’t disqualify a man from being a public official.
Alleged 14K Triad Membership
Darker facts have emerged about Paul Phua, though. He is rumored to be a member of the 14K triad, which has 25,000 members worldwise in a host of areas: Hong Kong, China, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand in Asia and Pacifica. The 14K Triad also has a network in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom (especially Liverpool), and other parts of Europe. The 14k triad is responsible for drug trafficking around the world, with their main focus being heroin and opium-based narcotics from southeast Asia. 14K is the chief rival to Sun Yee On, the largest triad in the world.
If it is true that Paul Phua is a member of the 14K, then San Marino should not have given this man diplomatic clearance. Any government in the world should vet their representatives well enough to determine such associations, because the information appears to have been an open secret.
Arrest in Hong Kong
Even if San Marino’s leaders were unaware of the connection, Paul Phua is thought to be have arrested in a raid in Hong Kong just weeks before the arrest in Las Vegas. Phua and his accomplices, who are thought to have operated the largest sports betting ring in the history of gambling, were deported from Hong Kong after the arrest. This is when his diplomatic clearance should have been removed, at the very least.
Instead, he entered the United States and tried to set up a new World Cup sports gambling ring in Las Vegas. He and a group of Malaysian and Chinese men rented a posh suite at Caesars Palace and began taking sports bets. When Caesars staff noticed their activity, they reported it to the authorities. The FBI raided Phua’s hotel room and arrested him. In early August, Phua awaits a hearing before a federal judge. It is much less likely he’ll simply be deported from the US.
