The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted a HK$40 million (41 million patacas) illegal exchange operation run by a jewellery shop on Monday, arresting a female employee for illegal currency exchange activities, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspect as a 36-year-old local surnamed Chou.
According to Chao, the police received a tipoff about a jewellery shop in an integrated resort in Cotai operating an illegal currency exchange business. On Monday morning, officers discovered that Chou was engaging in an illegal currency exchange deal with a middle-aged male gambler from the Chinese mainland. After the gambler transferred money using his smartphone, Chou took cash from a drawer and handed it to the gambler.
Chao noted that after the gambler exchanged 1,726 yuan for HK$1,800 in cash, he immediately entered the casino and converted the Hong Kong dollars into chips for gambling. The police later intercepted the gambler in the casino and apprehended Chou at the shop. The police seized HK$95,400 in cash, two smartphones and a laptop from the shop.
The police confirmed that the shop had conducted illegal currency exchange activities amounting to HK$40 million since April 2025, resulting in an illegal profit of 1.35 million yuan (1.56 million patacas). Chao added that Chou received “remuneration” in the form of a monthly salary.
Chou was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing an illegal currency exchange charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded illegal currency exchange suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
