Nearly 35 kg worth 35 million patacas seized
The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted Macau’s largest-ever cannabis* smuggling case on Monday, PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference yesterday.
Chao identified the suspect as a 25-year-old man from Hong Kong surnamed Chau who told police that he is a stage technician.
Through intelligence analysis combined with risk assessment, PJ officers identified a suspicious passenger, Chau, on a flight arriving in Macau from a Southeast Asian country on Monday evening. In cooperation with the Macau Customs Service and the Public Security Police (PSP), officers took immediate action after Chau retrieved two suitcases from the luggage conveyer belt, seizing 60 bags of suspected cannabis from his luggage, Chao said, adding that quick tests confirmed the substance to be cannabis.
Chao also said that a total of 34,951 grams (34.9 kg) of cannabis were seized, with a total street value of around 34.95 million patacas, adding that this was the largest cannabis smuggling case ever recorded in Macau’s history.
According to Chao, the operation successfully prevented an international cross-border drug trafficking syndicate from smuggling a large quantity of narcotics through Macau for onward distribution to neighbouring regions.
Chao added that the suspect told police that he was promised no less than HK$60,000 (61,743 patacas) as payment for his role, and admitted that he was fully aware that the suitcases contained illicit drugs.
Chao also said that the suspect has no prior criminal record in Macau and no connection has been established between this case and another drug trafficking case announced on Monday when PJ officers arrested two drug dealers and two buyers from the Chinese mainland.
Asked by the media whether the drugs were intended solely for transit or if some were destined for sale within Macau, the spokesman said further investigation was required before he could reveal further information on the case.
Chau was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charge of drug-trafficking.
Drug trafficking in Macau is a serious criminal offence punishable by 5 to 15 years of imprisonment.
*Cannabis has accumulated an incredibly vast library of slang terms, scientific names, and regional synonyms over the decades, such as marijuana, weed, pot, hashish. – Gemini
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded drug suspect from Hong Kong to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday.
Evidence seized from the drug suspect surnamed Chau is displayed at the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photos: Armindo Neves
