Judiciary Police (PJ) Deputy Director Sou Sio Keong announced in a special press conference on Friday that a total of 84 people involved in illegal currency exchange were arrested between October 29 and November 30, with a total of HK$9.6 million in cash and in gaming chips seized.
The Legislative Assembly (AL) passed a government-drafted bill in October aimed at combating gambling-related crimes, under which legislation has been amended in order to criminalise illicit currency exchanges occurring on casino and other gaming industry-related premises.
According to Sou, the operation was jointly conducted with the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, adding that among the arrested 84 suspects, nine were from Macau, one was from Hong Kong and 74 were from mainland, involving 60 illegal currency exchange cases.
Sou said that the joint operation with the Ministry of Public Security has seen a total of five initiatives aimed at combating illegal currency exchange networks operating in and on the fringes of Macau’s casinos since May which have resulted in a significant decrease in illegal currency exchange cases, as well as a reduction in related fraud cases, signalling the effectiveness of the ongoing crackdown.
In addition, the Ministry of Public Security held a press conference in Beijing on Friday announcing that it has put 16 major cases involving illegal currency exchange cases under its direct supervision since May, clamping down on 263 criminal gangs suspected of illegal business operation, organising border smuggling, fraud, illegal detention and other derivative crimes, and smashing more than 100 underground banks, with more than 80 billion yuan being seized.
A Ministry of Public Security official said on Friday that the situation facing the crackdown and remedial work remained relatively complicated, including the large number and wide distribution of illegal currency exchange gangs, and the high degree of furtiveness in the modus operandi of the criminals.
Judiciary Police (PJ) Deputy Director Sou Sio Keong (centre) and two senior PJ officers give a press conference on Friday at the PJ headquarters in Zape. – Photo: MPDG
