Two male non-resident workers (NRWs) have been arrested for smuggling three people out of Macau and aiding and abetting illegal immigration, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said at a special press conference yesterday.
The two suspects are from the mainland employed as chefs in Macau. They are colleagues and are surnamed Chen and Wu, aged 33 and 28 respectively. The three illegal immigrants are aged between 33 and 44. One of them is a woman who had previously been involved in a criminal offence and was prohibited from entering Macau, while the other two, both male, have no criminal record.
According to Chong, the police recently received a tip-off that a people-smuggling gang would transport three illegal immigrants back to the mainland in the wee hours of yesterday. PJ and customs officers set up surveillance at Coloane’s Cheoc Van Beach (Bamboo Beach) on Monday night, where they initially saw Chen scouting the area, and Wu later leading the three illegal immigrants to the beach to hide and wait for a vessel.
Chong noted that at 1 a.m. yesterday when Wu and the three illegal immigrants were preparing to leave the beach as the vessel never arrived, the police immediately arrested them. The police intercepted Chen at his residence in Taipa later yesterday.
Under questioning, Wu and Chen admitted to receiving 3,000 yuan (3,400 patacas) for assisting the smuggling gang. The three illegal immigrants admitted to having entered Macau illegally between February and May, paying from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan for a one-way trip. They claimed that they came for “entertainment” purposes to Macau.
Chen and Wu were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of organised crime as well as aiding and abetting illegal immigrants, according to Chong.
The two hooded people-smuggling suspects are being escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday.
Evidence seized from the two people-smuggling suspects such as smartphones and a torch is displayed at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters yesterday. – Photos: William Chan
