Three locals, one of whom was a former employee of a cosmetics trading company, were arrested on Tuesday at their respective flats in the northern district and Taipa for swapping cosmetic products for soil when transferring the products to the mainland from Macau, resulting in a loss of 1.5 million yuan (about 1.75 million patacas) and the closure of the company, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said during yesterday’s special press conference.
Lou noted that the male suspects aged 21, 26 and 33, are surnamed Cheong, Ao Ieong and Wu respectively, the latter told the police that he works as a taxi driver, while the other two are jobless.
According to Lou, a 48-year-old mainland businessman who engages in the procurement of cosmetics reported to the Judiciary Police in November last year that he had set up a trading company in Macau’s northern district last August and had employed Cheong as the company administrator to help arrange the transfer of goods to the mainland.
Lou added that on October 29 last year, the victim received a complaint from mainland customers that their cosmetics had been swapped for soil, resulting in a loss of 1.5 million yuan, so he contacted Cheong to ask for an explanation, but Cheong could not give one. Consequently, the victim fired Cheong and stopped the business.
Lou said that the Judiciary Police believe that the three suspects, together with at least four others that are on the run, switched the company’s goods and sold them.
According to Lou, the three suspects were arrested at their flats on Tuesday morning, during which PJ officers found a fake Macau ID (BIR) card with a photo similar to Cheong in his flat.
Lou said there was a strong indication that the three suspects jointly carried out fraud, involving a considerably large amount of money, adding that Cheong was also suspected of committing document forgery.
Lou pointed out that the three had refused to reveal any details related to the case at the time the press conference was held.
Two hooded local suspects are escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday. – Photo: Yuki Lei
