The Judiciary Police separately arrested two men from the mainland on Monday for engaging in illegal currency exchange deals, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a regular press conference yesterday.
In the first case, the 34-year-old man surnamed Wang told the police that he is jobless.
According to Lei, PJ officers on patrol saw Wang providing an illegal currency exchange deal to a female gambler in a casino in Cotai on Monday. The gambler transferred 497 yuan through scanning the QR code provided by Wang, while Wang handed over HK$500 to the gambler. Wang and the gambler were apprehended on the spot. The gambler then turned witness in the case. Under questioning, Wang admitted to exchanging HK$500 with the gambler for 497 yuan. Wang also admitted to having engaged in illegal currency exchange activities since February, having earned HK$100 for every HK$10,000 exchanged, receiving HK$5,000 (5,140patacas) in total. The police have seized two mobile phones, HK$10,000, and HK$7,500 in chips, along with the HK$500 found on the gambler.
In the second case, the 34-year-old man surnamed Ying told the police that he is jobless.
According to Lei, PJ officers discovered that Ying was engaging in an illegal currency exchange deal with a female gambler in a casino in Nape during a patrol on Monday. Ying showed the gambler a QR code on his phone. After scanning it, the gambler transferred 28,800 yuan, while Ying handed over HK$30,000 to the gambler. Ying and the gambler were apprehended on the spot. The gambler then turned witness in the case. Under questioning, Ying admitted to having engaged in illegal currency exchanges in Macau since January, earning 200 to 250 yuan for every 10,000 yuan exchanged, resulting in a total income of 30,000 yuan. The police seized HK$140,000 and HK$40,000 in chips from Ying, as well as HK$30,000 from the gambler.
The suspects in the two cases have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing illegal currency exchange charges.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
