Three local men were arrested on Thursday for drug trafficking by hiding drugs in a book-shipping box that was delivered to Macau via the mainland.
The police seized 1,661 grammes of cannabis with an estimated street value of 1.66 million patacas, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lun said at a special press conference on Friday.
The three suspects are a 24-year-old air-conditioning repair worker surnamed Vong, a 25-year-old jobless man surnamed Chan, and a 57-year-old chef surnamed Wu.
According to Leng, the Judiciary Police were notified by the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau (PSB) last Monday that they were tracking a parcel believed to contain drugs which was being delivered from overseas to Macau via Guangxi.
Leng said the Zhuhai PSB and Customs, Guangxi Police Department, the local police as well as the Macau Customs Service took joint action and confirmed that the parcel would be delivered to a pickup point near Patane district last week. The Judiciary Police identified Vong and Chan as suspects in the case and put them under surveillance.
According to Leng, the duo went by motorcycle to the pickup point on Thursday. Vong collected the parcel from a self-service machine there while Chan acted as the lookout. The Judiciary Police immediately arrested the two men and seized cannabis weighing 668.43 grammes hidden inside a book shipping box in the parcel. PJ officers subsequently found two packets of cannabis weighing 517 grammes and 38 grammes as well as drug-taking paraphernalia at Chan’s home in Patane district later that day.
Under questioning, Vong told the police that they shared the cost of buying the drugs, while Chan was in charge of buying. They bought 2,000 grammes of cannabis on July 28 for 140,000 patacas. The drugs were delivered by parcel to Macau via the mainland. They told the police that they had sold 1,000 grammes to Wu. The Judiciary Police seized 437.63 grammes of cannabis and drug-taking paraphernalia at Wu’s home in Fai Chi Kei later that day. Wu told the police that he had resold packets of 10 grammes for 8,000 patacas to customers in night entertainment venues, Leng said.
Leng said that both Chan and Wu were drug users and the Judiciary Police were continuing their investigation into case to look for the source of the drugs.
The trio were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing charges of trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic substances, while Chan and Wu also face possession of drug-taking paraphernalia charges, according to Leng.
The trio drug suspects are being escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle on Friday. Photos: MPDG
Evidence seized from the drug suspects such as cannabis and a book-shipping box is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters on Friday.
