Four mainlanders were arrested by the local and Zhuhai police on Sunday for their alleged involvement in people-smuggling activities, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a special press conference yesterday.
The suspects arrested in Macau comprise a 19-year-old skipper surnamed Liu, who told the police that he works as a vehicle maintenance worker, and a 29-year-old illegal immigrant surnamed Luo who had overstayed last month after which he was banned from entering Macau for two years.
A key member of the gang and the “guarantor” (擔保人) of the illegal immigrant were arrested in the mainland on Sunday, Lei said.
According to Lei, the Judiciary Police have reinforced their intelligence exchanges to stop people intending to avoid quarantine from entering Macau and to combat people-smuggling gangs’ activities.
The Judiciary Police and Zhuhai police exchanged intelligence and learnt that a gang was arranging for an illegal immigrant to enter Macau by sea. PJ officers identified some of the gang members and discovered the gang’s modus operandi.
The Judiciary Police took joint action with the Macau Customs Service and Zhuhai Public Security Bureau (PSB) on Sunday. PJ officers saw Luo coming ashore in Sai Van and arrested him, while customs officers searched Macau’s nearby coastal waters. They arrested Liu and seized his boat. Meanwhile, the Zhuhai police arrested a man who acted as the illegal immigrant’s “guarantor” and a key gang member in the mainland, Lei said.
According to Lei, the PJ’s investigation showed that Luo had paid 55,000 yuan (67,900 patacas) to the gang to arrange a chartered boat for him to enter Macau. After paying 30,000 yuan to the gang, he arranged for his “guarantor” to pay the balance after he entered Macau, but he and his “guarantor” were eventually arrested by the local and Zhuhai police. The Judiciary Police believe that due to the law enforcement agencies’ recently intensified cross-border crackdown, the number of people-smuggling vessels has decreased, so Luo paid the gang to charter a boat just for him. Lei said the police have still to confirm how long the gang had been operating.
Liu was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday for further investigation, facing charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration and belonging to a criminal organisation, while Luo was to be deported to the mainland, according to Lei.
Evidence seized by the Judiciary Police (PJ) and Macau Customs Service on Sunday shows three smartphones and a number of yuan notes is displayed at the PJ headquarters yesterday. Photos courtesy of TDM
The skipper suspected of involvement in people-smuggling is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday.
