The Judiciary Police (PJ) separately arrested a local man and a man from the Chinese mainland on Monday for engaging in illegal currency exchange activities, PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference yesterday.
Leng identified the local as a 33-year-old male surnamed Lok who claimed to be jobless.
According to Leng, PJ officers on patrol in a hotel in Nape witnessed Lok engaging in an illegal currency exchange deal with a male gambler. Lok displayed a QR code to the gambler and then handed over chips worth HK$10,000. The police separately intercepted both Lok and the gambler in the hotel.
Leng noted that they agreed to exchange HK$10,000 for 9,400 yuan. The police seized a mobile phone, HK$32,000, and 8,800 patacas in cash from Lok, along with HK$6,000 in chips from the gambler. Under questioning, Lok admitted to having engaged in illegal currency exchange activities since mid-July, claiming to have earned a total of 18,000 yuan.
In a second case, Leng identified the mainland suspect as a 34-year-old man surnamed Wang who told the police that he is jobless.
According to Leng, PJ officers on patrol in a casino in Cotai saw Wang approaching a female gambler to offer an illegal currency exchange deal. They agreed to exchange 9,370 yuan for HK$10,000 in chips. Wang displayed a QR code for the gambler to transfer the money, after which she took the chips to gamble. The police later intercepted them separately in the casino. Under questioning, Wang admitted to having engaged in illegal currency exchange activities since July, earning HK$120 for every HK$10,000 exchanged, with a total profit of HK$35,000. The police seized two mobile phones, HK$27,700 in chips and HK$47,000 in cash from Wang.
The suspects in both cases were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, each facing an illegal currency exchange charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded local suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded mainland suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photos: Ada Lei
