Three men from the mainland have been arrested for smuggling two people out of Macau, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok said at a special press conference yesterday.
The suspects are a 28-year-old male surnamed Lin, a 39-year-old male surnamed Ye and a 52-year-old male surnamed Ou. Lin and Ye are sailors while Ou is a fisherman. The illegal immigrants are a 44-year-old man surnamed Li and a 42-year-old man surnamed Xiong. Both have been barred from entering Macau.
According to Ho, the Judiciary Police recently conducted a joint investigation with the Guangdong police into a smuggling case. On Tuesday, the Judiciary Police observed Ou loitering around the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal. Subsequently, a fishing boat sailed off Rua do Almirante Sérgio and docked near Ponte 21 in the Inner Harbour. Li disembarked and made contact with Ou. The police promptly intercepted the duo.
Following their interception, the police, together with Macau Customs Service officers, searched the boat, resulting in the arrest of Lin and Ye, who were operating the vessel, as well as Xiong.
Meanwhile, Ho noted, the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau had arrested three male mainlanders allegedly linked to the gang.
Under questioning, the three suspects admitted to their involvement in people smuggling and aiding and abetting illegal immigrants. They told the police that they were hired by the gang to sail the boat from Zhuhai to Macau. The two illegal immigrants said that they paid 55,000 yuan (62,000 patacas) each to the gang for its “services”.
The three suspects were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of people smuggling and aiding and abetting illegal immigrants, Ho said.
Photographic and physical evidence such as phones is displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded mainland suspects from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday. – Photos: William Chan
