The Judiciary Police (PJ) apprehend a man from Malaysia on Tuesday for trafficking 6,279 grams of cannabis buds valued at 6.27 million patacas, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspect as an 18-year-old male surnamed Goh who claimed to be jobless.
According to Chao, the Judiciary Police (PJ) identified a drug trafficking group through intelligence and cross-border risk management procedures. The group was preparing to send a member, referred to in Cantonese as an “airplane pig,”, i.e., a person hired to smuggle drugs as an air passenger, to transport drugs from Thailand via the Philippines to Macau, with further plans to distribute them in Hong Kong and neighbouring regions.
The police apprehended Goh on Tuesday as he entered Macau through the airport after collecting a suitcase containing cannabis buds, and preparing to depart in a car arranged by the gang. The police seized 12 packets of cannabis buds vacuum-sealed in silver foil from his suitcase, weighing a total of 6,279 grams, with an estimated street value of 6.27 million patacas.
Chao noted that Goh was recruited by a drug trafficking group in Malaysia. He first travelled to Thailand to collect the suitcase containing the cannabis buds before flying to the Philippines and finally arriving in Macau, where he planned to transfer the drugs to Hong Kong immediately. Chao added that the driver of the car intended to transport Goh was initially ruled out as a potential accomplice. The police later confirmed that the seized drugs were indeed cannabis.
Under questioning, Goh admitted to trafficking the cannabis buds, claiming that he was promised a “remuneration” of 10,000 Malaysian ringgit (19,300 patacas).
Goh was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a drug-trafficking charge.
Chao said that to combat the increasing issue of cross-border drug trafficking, the Judiciary Police (PJ) will enhance collaboration and intelligence collection with global and regional law enforcement agencies. He reaffirmed their zero-tolerance policy towards drug-related crimes and commitment to strengthening intelligence exchanges to address various forms of cross-border trafficking.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded drug-trafficking suspect from Malaysia to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
