Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during a special press conference yesterday that in a follow-up investigation into a drug trafficking case uncovered earlier this year, PJ officers intercepted two more men, both non-resident workers (NRWs), on Tuesday for assisting the drug gang to collect and transfer a total of one million patacas in drug funds.
The suspects are surnamed Peralta and Nguyen. Peralta is a 34-year-old Filipino removal worker, while Nguyen is a 33-year-old Vietnamese cleaner.
According to Chong, during the follow-up investigation, the police discovered that Peralta and Nguyen had opened bank accounts in Macau to receive drug proceeds from buyers and facilitate their transfer. Police arrested Peralta in Cotai and Nguyen in Areia Preta district on Tuesday. No drugs were found on either of them, and their urine tests for drugs came back negative.
Under questioning, Peralta admitted to opening a bank account in Macau last October and receiving nearly 1 million patacas in drug proceeds. He claimed that he had received commission ranging from 100 to 500 patacas for each transaction but refused to reveal how much money he had received in total. Nguyen admitted to depositing money into the account provided by Peralta for drug purchasing.
Peralta and Nguyen were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday for possible arraignment on a range of charges, according to Chong.
Evidence seized from the suspects such as bank notes and mobile phones is displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Zape. – Photo: William Chan
