Three Filipinos were arrested on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a drug deal consisting of 9.35 grammes of ice with an estimated street value of 31,000 patacas as well as two packets of a suspicious “white powder” weighing 8.47 grammes, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lun said at a special press conference yesterday.
The three suspects comprise two men and a woman – a 28-year-old cleaner surnamed Lacorte; a 36-year-old jobless man holding a Filipino passport surnamed Gutierrez, and a 34-year-old female housekeeper surnamed Laking.
Lacorte and Laking are non-resident workers while Laking and Gutierrez are a couple.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police took action after receiving a tip-off that a Filipino couple were selling drugs to their compatriots in Ha Van district. The Judiciary Police identified the couple as the possible suspects, confirmed that they lived in a flat in Rua do Almirante Sérgio and put them under surveillance on Wednesday night. PJ officers saw a man who looked like a Filipino entering the building and leaving it after just a few minutes. The officers suspected that the man had just bought drugs from the couple and tailed him.
Ha Van is the Chinese name for the Praia do Manduco neighbourhood in the Inner Harbour area near Barra.
PJ officers intercepted Lacorte in Travessa do Cais in the same neighbourhood and seized a small packet of ice from him weighing 0.29 grammes. Under questioning, Lacorte told the police that he had just bought the drug for 300 patacas from a Filipina in a flat in the building, Leng said.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police arrested Laking outside the flat where the couple lived, and seized a packet of 0.29 grammes of ice from her while other officers arrested Gutierrez in the flat. The officers seized a total of 22 packets weighing approximately 8.77 grammes of ice and another two packets weighing approximately 8.47 grammes containing a white powder that appeared to be drugs, a number of clear plastic self-sealing bags for packaging drugs, digital scales and other drug-taking paraphernalia, as well as 2,100 patacas and HK$1,200 in suspected drug money.
Under questioning, the Filipino couple admitted to dealing drugs to other Filipinos but refused to reveal where they got the drugs from.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police believe that the couple had been trafficking drugs for three months and at the time of the press conference were still tracing the source of the drugs. Lacorte and Gutierrez tested positive for drugs.
The trio were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing drug abuse charges while Laking and Gutierrez are also facing charges of drug trafficking. Moreover, Gutierrez faces charges of possession of drug-taking paraphernalia, according to Leng.
The three hooded Filipino suspects are escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Evidence seized from the three suspects such as four smartphones, Hong Kong dollar and pataca notes, packets of drugs and digital scales is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
