The Customs Service, Judiciary Police (PJ) and the Public Security Police (PSP) have carried out a joint operation, titled Thunderbolt 2021, which busted various illegal activities, including arresting two smugglers who jumped off a boat in a futile attempt to escape, a Unitary Police Service (SPU) statement said on Saturday.
According to a PJ statement on Friday, the operation started on Thursday when a total of 30 criminal investigators patrolled video game centres and internet cafés in the peninsula’s northern and central districts. The statement said a total 159 individuals, comprising 131 men and 28 women, were intercepted and questioned, while none of them was taken to a police station for further investigation.
Saturday’s SPU statement said that on Friday the three entities patrolled a number of casinos in Macau and Cotai, nightclubs, bars and other venues, adding that the police and customs officers also patrolled Macau’s coastal waters. The statement noted that the operation ran from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. the next day, involving 380 officers and six canine teams.
The statement said that during the operation on Friday night, the police and customs officers intercepted 1,822 people, 34 of which were taken to the police stations for further questioning. The statement added that 14 of them were arrested for illegal currency exchange activities, while 12 were overstayers from the mainland.
According to the SPU statement, the Customs Service found a suspicious speedboat near Pac On Ferry Terminal, adding that when the customs officers tried to intercept the two men on the vessel, both jumped off the speedboat and tried to escape. The statement underlined that they were eventually caught and placed under arrest.
The SPU statement said that on the speedboat, the officers found frozen food and other items, so they suspected that the two were engaged in smuggling activities. The statement said that the duo have violated the External Trade Law, and one of them was even suspected of aiding and abetting illicit human smuggling. The statement underlined that both suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further questioning.
The SPU statement underlined that the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau police and customs forces have been working together since Macau’s return to the motherland. The statement said that the three regions have been exchanging information and their respective experiences in cracking down on cross border syndicates in order to create a safe environment for residents.
This undated handout photo provided by the SPU on Saturday shows a Macau Customs Service boat intercepting a speedboat in Macau’s coastal waters.
