A jobless Vietnamese man was arrested on Wednesday for drug trafficking in Patane district and possession of four grammes of ice with an estimated street value of 15,000 patacas, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a special press conference yesterday.
The 36-year-old suspect surnamed Chi holds a temporary stay permit. Ho said that Chi previously worked as a cleaner in a casino.
According to Ho, the Judiciary Police were tipped off recently that a Vietnamese man was selling drugs in Patane to regular customers at night entertainment venues. PJ officers identified Chi as the suspect and put him under surveillance. The officers arrested Chi near Patane Municipal Market on Wednesday. Under questioning, Chi admitted to selling drugs and told the police that he hid some drugs in the staircase of a nearby building. The police found three packets of ice weighing four grammes there.
Ho said that the Judiciary Police believe that Chi had been selling drugs in the district for about three months. He contacted his supplier through an app to purchase the drugs and then hid them in different locations. He messaged his buyers to tell them where they could pick up the drugs.
Chi told the police that he recently bought five packets of ice weighing five grammes for 7,000 patacas and resold each packet for 2,500 patacas, Ho said.
Chi was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing drug trafficking charges, according to Ho.
The hooded Vietnamese drug suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday. Photos: Iong Tat Choi
Evidence seized from the suspect such as three packets of ice and three smartphones is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday.
