Age: 36
Sex: male
Date: 3 Jun 2003
Place: BRB Bar, Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London
You Yi He was shot while drinking at the BRB Bar on Gerrard Street in Chinatown, London.
He was shot in the hand and chest by two men at about 5pm.
It was thought he was shot in relation to his work as a money lender or his involvement in people smuggling.
At the time he was shot he was being investigated for his involvement with international people smuggling.
The police said that they were investigating his links to Snakehead gangs who organised the people smuggling. It was suggested that he might have been involved in a turf war between gangs fighting for control of the human trafficking trade after a major takedown operation of the dominant player in human trafficking between China and the European Union in the Netherlands in early 2003. It was reported that the human smuggling business was as lucrative as the drugs trade, worth about £8b a year, but that the penalties were much lower than drug smuggling or other criminal operations.
You He was thought to have been an illegal immigrant having entered the United Kingdom in 1997 from Fujian in China.
At the time he was living in Mare Street, Hackney with his brother and frequently visited Chinatown.
It was noted that You He was not a frequent visitor to the BRB Bar and it was thought that a person had led his killers there.
