The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested three local men on Thursday for engaging in illegal currency exchange activities, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference on Friday.
Chao identified the suspects as a 44-year-old driver surnamed Un, a 54-year-old construction worker surnamed Wong, and a 27-year-old man surnamed Lei who claimed to be jobless.
According to Chao, the police received a tip-off about a car that was repeatedly entering and exiting casino car parks in Cotai, which raised suspicion that the occupants were involved in illegal exchange activities. The police discovered that the group used a car registered in the name of Un to transport individuals to the casino car parks and nearby locations. They would enter the casinos to find gamblers needing to exchange yuan into Hong Kong dollars, eventually taking them to more discreet areas on the casino premises or inside their car to complete the transactions via mobile phone digital transfers. Once the gamblers received their cash or chips in Hong Kong dollars, they would immediately return to the casino to gamble.
Chao noted that the police identified Un, Wong and Lei as the suspects and apprehended them on Thursday. Under questioning, the trio refused to cooperate.
The police discovered that Un was the registered owner of the car and the kingpin for supplying the funds and collecting the payments. Meanwhile, Wong and Lei were tasked with seeking out customers and engaging in illegal exchange activities. The profits from these illegal exchanges were then shared with Un.
Chao said that the group had been operating their scheme since January, conducting transactions amounting to 11 million yuan, resulting in profit of about HK$330,000 for the trio. The police later confiscated the car involved and seized several mobile phones from them.
The threesome have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), each facing an illegal currency exchange charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the three hooded illegal currency exchange suspects from Macau to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape on Friday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
