The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted a gang of five for drug-taking, drug trafficking and money laundering on Monday, PJ spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a special press conference yesterday.
Ho identified the suspects as three Indonesians and two Filipinos aged between 33 and 44, surnamed Aditya, Suryowati, Dina, Obra and Gutierrez. Ho added that only Suryowati is unemployed, whilst the other four are all non-resident workers (NRWs).
According to Ho, the Judiciary Police, building on an in-depth investigation into a drug-taking case solved earlier this year, identified the gang’s involvement in drug-related criminal activities. On Monday morning, PJ officers arrested the five at three residential units on the peninsula and a hotel guest room in Cotai. Officers seized 0.35 grams of cocaine, 108.24 grams of methamphetamine (“ice”), drug-taking and packaging paraphernalia, ATM cards, bank passbooks, and 2,200 patacas in cash.
Ho noted that the seized drugs have an estimated street value of around 325,000 patacas.
The investigation revealed that Dina and Obra were employed by a criminal syndicate and had been selling drugs to fellow nationals in Macau since February. Together with Aditya, they also assisted in receiving proceeds from drug transactions and cashing them out, before transferring the illicit funds to higher-level syndicate members through ATMs or by purchasing cryptocurrency to launder the money.
Furthermore, Ho said that Aditya, Suryowati, Dina and Gutierrez are drug users who had purchased drugs from the criminal syndicate. All four underwent urine tests, with three testing positive for drugs.
The Judiciary Police are continuing to investigate the specific proceeds from the drug sales, the payments received, the source of the drugs, and the whereabouts of accomplices who remain at large, Ho added.
The quintet were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of drug taking, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the five hooded drug suspects to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
