A man from the mainland has been apprehended for engaging in an illegal currency exchange transaction, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a press conference yesterday.
The 60-year-old male suspect surnamed Huang told the police that he’s jobless.
According to Ho, PJ officers saw Huang offering an illegal currency exchange deal to a male gambler in a Cotai casino smoking lounge on Tuesday afternoon. After the gambler transferred 19,000 yuan by scanning the QR code provided by Huang, he handed him HK$20,000 in gambling chips.
Huang and the gambler were apprehended on the spot. The police confiscated the HK$20,000 worth of chips from the gambler, who then turned witness in the case, as well as HK$41,000 in casino chips from the suspect.
Huang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing an illegal currency exchange charge, Ho said.
Ho noted that any money or valuables linked to criminal activities, including illegal currency exchange operations, will be subject to confiscation and subsequently transferred to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) by court order.
