Crime | Seventy-six suspects arrested in loan shark scheme

Macau and Zhuhai authorities have arrested 76 suspects in an alleged loan-shark scheme targeting gamblers in local casinos involving over HKD20 million.

According to the Judiciary Police (PJ), its joint efforts with the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau on Monday led to the closure of the loan-sharking gang, which was allegedly controlled by a criminal organization. The arrests followed a tip-off from the PJ’s mainland counterparts in April.

The gang was said to have been operating in both the SAR and the mainland since October 2017 and to have carried out at least 40 cases of usury.

According to the PJ, the loan-sharking group has been active in targeting local casinos, and victims of the group that failed to pay back their loans were unlawfully detained in either the SAR or the mainland.

The authorities said that 41 of the suspects were taken in for questioning by PJ officials in Macau, while the other 35 suspects were arrested in mainland locations including Beijing, Nanchang in Jiangxi province, and Zhuhai.

Zhuhai police authorities believe that one of the suspects they caught was the gang leader, while four are key members of the group.

All 76 suspects are from the mainland, with most of them coming from Jiangxi province, aged between 26 and 54.

Meanwhile, local authorities are also said to have ordered 13 “junket accounts” to be frozen, and seized a total of over HKD5.5 million from the accounts due to suspicion that the funds were linked to loan sharking.

Authorities raided five luxury residential flats in Nape and Cotai which the gang had rented out for their members.

During the operation, named “Double Arrows,” authorities seized evidence including mobile phones, ‘promissory notes’ and accounting records.

Some of the gang members were reportedly instructed to work in frontline roles in local casinos. It was their duty to identify cash-strapped gamblers who were eager to borrow money.

The loans needed to be approved by the senior members, who stayed on the mainland.

According to the PJ, these suspects were trained to develop a strong awareness to avoid police investigation.

The case was transferred to the Public Prosecution Office for further investigation.

Macau has recorded a total of 295 cases of alleged gaming-related loan sharking during the first half of the year, a 16.1% rise year-on-year.

A total of 169 cases of alleged unlawful detention related to gaming were also recorded during the first six month of 2019, representing a 17.4% increase compared to the same period of last year.