Macau Customs Service officer Ip Lap Pun told reporters yesterday that parallel traders are more active in the morning than at other times of the day.
Ip made the remarks yesterday after inviting the media to witness customs officers busting a parallel trading spot in Areia Preta.
Ip said that according to the customs’ recent observations, intelligence and complaints, its officers have been able to deduce that parallel trading activities have been moved forward to earlier in the day.
According to Ip, between January and mid-March customs officers carried out 22 operations involving parallel traders and seized goods worth a total of 27.45 million patacas. Ip noted that since the government has imposed stricter policies on mainlanders holding travel permits to visit family in Macau, customs officers have yet to apprehend any parallel trader holding such a travel permit, which showed that the new policy is effective.
When asked whether more locals have been engaged in parallel trading activities, Ip said that he did not have the most up-to-date numbers but usually only 25 percent of the parallel traders are locals.
Meanwhile, Ip also said that earlier today a parallel trader was caught smuggling items from the Barrier Gate checkpoint to the mainland, adding that the suspect admitted that she collected the parallel goods from a shop located in the northern district. Ip said that customs officers went to the spot and nabbed a 21-year-old local man in charge of the shop, a local parallel trader and a female non-resident worker.
Ip underlined that all the suspects were arrested for breaching the External Trade Law, noting that they could face a fine of up to 50,000 patacas.
Ip said that at the shop the officers seized parallel goods such as electronic watches, Japanese sake, old mobile phones and cosmetic products worth two million patacas in total.
Macau Customs Service officers seize beauty products, Japanese sake and other parallel trading goods yesterday morning at a shop located in Areia Preta. Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
