A Tanzanian overstayer was arrested for alleged drug trafficking on Tuesday at his flat in San Kio district, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a special press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, about 15 grammes of cocaine, around 2.5 grammes of an unknown drug and suspected “drug money” in US and Hong Kong dollars worth about 33,000 patacas were found in the flat.
Lei also said at a special press conference that the drug haul had an estimated street value of 49,500 patacas.
The 39-year-old suspect surnamed Dossa holds a Tanzanian passport and overstayed his visa. Lei did not say for how long he overstayed. He told the police that he is a businessman.
According to Lei, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department notified the Judiciary Police on Tuesday about a parcel weighing 1 kilogramme that had been delivered to Macau via express courier from Europe. According to the department, the parcel contained cocaine with an estimated street value of 3.3 million patacas.
PJ officers identified Dossa as the recipient and confirmed his whereabouts.
Lei said PJ officers arrested Dossa on Tuesday afternoon in his flat in San Kio district and seized five packets of cocaine with a total weight of about 4.03 grammes in a room and another 12 packets elsewhere in the flat, weighing 10.97 grammes and a total of about 2.5 grammes of an unknown drug.
Under questioning, Dossa claimed that he purchased the drugs from a foreigner at a night entertainment venue in Macau for 1,000 patacas for his personal use. He denied drug trafficking and refused to cooperate. He tested positive for cocaine.
Dossa was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of the illegal use of, and trafficking in narcotic and psychotropic substances, according to Lei.
Evidence seized from the suspect such as drugs, Hong Kong dollar and US dollar notes are displayed during yesterday’s press conference about the case in the pressroom of the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
The hooded Tanzanian suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday.
