The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted on Monday an illegal exchange operation disguised as a jewellery shop, arresting three men and a woman for illegal currency exchange and loansharking, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspects as a 49-year-old male mainlander surnamed Wei, who works as a construction worker; a 48-year-old local male surnamed Lei, the manager of the store; a 32-year-old local female surnamed Lam and a 42-year-old local male surnamed Hong, both of whom worked as salespersons in the shop in a hotel in Cotai.
According to Chao, the Judiciary Police (PJ) received a referral from the Public Security Police (PSP) on Sunday about an illegal currency exchange case involving an elderly witness and Wei.
Chao did not provide any information on the witness, merely saying that he is male from the Chinese mainland.
Chao noted that the witness was introduced to a man, who was still at large at the time of the press conference, by Wei on Saturday to borrow money for casino gambling, but was unsuccessful. The man then recruited the witness to carry out a card cash advance, promising a 10 percent “remuneration”.
Following the man’s instructions, the witness went to the shop and used a card to withdraw 41,495 yuan, converted into HK$43,000 in cash. Afterwards, the man handed HK$6,000 to the witness at a casino, where the witness gambled away all the money.
Chao said that when the man requested the witness to carry out another card transaction of 50,000 yuan, the witness, concerned about the legitimacy of the transaction, asked for a refund. After a dispute arose, the witness reported the case to the police.
On Monday, the police apprehended Lei and Lam at the jewellery shop, along with a male gambler who was conducting a card cash advance at the time. The police seized a cash counting machine, 436,000 patacas in cash, and HK$400 in chips. On Tuesday morning, the police intercepted Hong who refused to cooperate.
The police confirmed that the jewellery shop was masquerading as a legitimate business selling jewellery while actually engaging in illegal currency exchange activities through card cash advances. All staff members were aware that the shop primarily facilitated customers exchanging Hong Kong dollars for gambling purposes.
The police confirmed that the jewellery shop opened in February 2024. Since the implementation of the Law Against Illegal Gambling Crimes, the shop had conducted total transactions amounting to HK$27 million, resulting in illegal profits totalling HK$540,000.
The quartet were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday. Lei, Lam and Hong are each facing a charge of illegal currency exchange, while Wei is facing a usury charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort three hooded suspects to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday.– Photo: Ada Lei
