The Judiciary Police (PJ) have arrested a retired PJ officer for helping a sauna evade law enforcement, PJ spokeswoman Leong Sok Man said during a special press conference on Friday.
According to a report by the Post early last month, the Judiciary Police arrested 26 leaders and key members of three prostitution syndicates on June 4 at multiple locations across the Macau Peninsula and Taipa. These syndicates operated under the cover of saunas, recruiting women from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe to engage in prostitution. The operation dismantled three prostitution syndicates, whose combined illegal profits amounted to around 790 million patacas. Among the suspects were two retired Judiciary Police officers and three officers from the Public Security Police (PSP) – a deputy commissioner, an acting division chief, and a police officer.
Leong identified the latest suspect as a 63-year-old male surnamed Lam.
According to Leong, during the follow-up investigation into the ramifications of the case, PJ officers discovered that Lam was also linked to the illegal operations. He was intercepted in the northern district on Thursday, after returning to Macau, Leong said.
The investigation revealed that Lam joined one of the prostitution syndicates in 2024, receiving a fixed monthly payment of 100,000 patacas.
In return, Leong said that Lam provided one of the syndicates with information on police operations, as well as advice on how to evade law enforcement and investigations, thereby helping the criminal syndicate continue its illegal operations. Lam is estimated to have accumulated at least 2.6 million patacas in illicit proceeds.
Lam was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing charges of organised crime, procurement, and favouritism.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded suspect – a retired PJ officer – to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape on Friday. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
