CRIME | Boats smuggle illegal immigrants

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has busted a criminal group suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into Macau. According to PJ, the group allegedly took advantage of the many vessels being used in the reclamation zone construction (a project that is far from concluded). Those boats were being used as a cover-up for the smuggling of illegal immigrants.
The authorities believe that the group organized boat trips to enter and leave the SAR an average of 20 times a month. They would charge 5,000 patacas for each. The scheme lasted at least six months.
“They usually choose to disembark near the flyover connecting to Avenida da Amizade near the recreational area of the reservoir. We believe that since it is near the artificial island which is the land reclamation area, where there are vessels and project workers traveling frequently, they made use of this as a cover up for their illegal activities,” a PJ spokesperson told TDM.
One of the four arrested criminals is a local resident and the remaining three are from the mainland. One of the suspects is being accused of document forgery, since he allegedly obtained a blue card illegally.