Two boys from Hong Kong – a 13-year-old schoolboy and a 17-year-old school dropout – were hired by a gang to sell drugs in Macau, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Man Vai said during a special press conference yesterday.
The two boys were caught on Monday afternoon outside a hotel in the city centre. They told the police that they had been hired by the gang for a “salary” of HK$1,500 per day each, Lai said.
The 17-year-old boy surnamed Pang told the police that he is unemployed, according to Lai, who did not reveal the surname of the 13-year-old schoolboy.
According to Lai, the Judiciary Police were recently tipped off that someone had been hired by a Hong Kong gang to sell drugs in Macau. After investigating, PJ officers identified as one of the suspected drug pushers.
According to Lai, Pang came to Macau on Saturday and stayed in the hotel in the city centre. PJ officers put Pang under surveillance.
At around 5 p.m. on Monday, PJ officers saw Pang leaving the hotel and then meeting another boy – the 13-year-old schoolboy, suspecting that they were going to sell drugs, and intercepted them, Lai said.
The police found 9.47 grammes of cocaine in Pang’s guestroom, Lai said, adding that the drugs seized have an estimated street value of 30,000 patacas.
In the guestroom, the police seized an electronic scale and equipment for packaging drugs, Lai said. The police also seized about
10,000 patacas in cash from the room, which the police believe was paid by drug users during previous drug-selling activities, according to Lai.
Under questioning, the two boys admitted that they were hired by a Hong Kong gang to sell drugs in Macau. They told the police that they were paid HK$1,500 per day each by the gang and that they primarily sold drugs to customers at night entertainment , Lai said.
According to Lai, the police confirmed that during the past six months Pang and the 13-year-old schoolboy entered Macau five times and three times respectively. Lai said that Pang and the 13-year-old schoolboy started selling drugs in Macau in April.
Pang has been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further questioning and possible arraignment on a drug-trafficking charge. Lai did not elaborate on the fate of the 13-year-old boy. The age of criminal responsibility in Macau is 16. However, those under 16 can be ordered to undergo non-penal remedial measures.
Drug-traffickers face five to 15 years behind bars.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded 17-year-old drug trafficking suspect from Hong Kong to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
