A couple were arrested on Tuesday for alleged drug dealing, and 6.6 grammes of Ice with an estimated street value of 22,000 patacas were seized from them. Moreover, Judiciary Police (PJ) officers discovered that both had been arrested for drug offences in June and been ordered to report regularly to the police, PJ spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said in a special press conference yesterday.
The couple are a 36-year-old local man surnamed Chan, who told the police that he works as driver, and his 34-year-old jobless Vietnamese girlfriend surnamed Nguyen. The couple live together in San Kio district.
According to Lei, PJ officers received a tip-off about a week ago that a local resident was selling drugs in San Kio. After a preliminary investigation, PJ officers identified Chan, who had been arrested in June together with his girlfriend for an alleged drug offence.
According to Lei, PJ officers put Chan under surveillance near his home in San Kio on Tuesday evening. Police officers saw Chan leaving his residential building at around 9 p.m. Chan looked around and left hurriedly. Officers came forward and intercepted him. Chan suddenly yelled and then punched and kicked the officers. He was eventually subdued by the police.
Lei said PJ officers arrested Nguyen in Chan’s home. They seized 11 packets of Ice weighing 6.6 grammes, digital scales and plastic bags for packing drugs in their flat as well as hidden in the staircase on different floors of the building. Chan refused to cooperate. Nguyen admitted to taking drugs but refused to answer other questions.
According to Lei, PJ officers believe that the couple’s drug dealing lasted for at least four months. The couple had been arrested in June for alleged drug trafficking, money laundering and organised crime activities, and they were required to report to the police on a regular basis.
From now on, according to Lei, the couple are required to report to the Public Security Police (PSP) as well as the Judiciary Police regularly.
Chan and Nguyen were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of dealing in drugs and taking narcotics and psychotropic substances, while Chan also faces charges of coercion and resisting police authority.
Evidence seized from the couple such as packs of Ice, two smartphones, two digital scales and pataca notes are displayed during yesterday’s special press conference about the case at the pressroom of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
