Local man arrested for cross-border drug trafficking

Local authorities arrested a 34-year-old man, surnamed Leung, on Tuesday for smuggling methamphetamine and etomidate e-cigarette cartridges from Hong Kong to Macau, seizing drugs worth over MOP31,000.

The man was intercepted by authorities at the Macau port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities discovered approximately 9.56 grams of methamphetamine and three e-cigarette cartridges suspected to contain etomidate on his person.

Confirmatory tests conducted later by the Judiciary Police’s (PJ) Criminal Technology Department corroborated the drugs’ identities.

In a press conference yesterday, the PJ said Leung claimed to be a deliveryman and admitted to at least eight years of drug use. He also told authorities that the drugs were meant for personal consumption and resale.

The case is now with the Public Prosecutions Office, while investigators trace the drugs’ origin, timing of smuggling, and any financial gains.

Student loses RMB3 million to scam

A female mainland Chinese university student studying in Macau became the victim of a scam involving law enforcement impersonation, resulting in a loss of RMB3 million.

In a separate case discussed at yesterday’s PJ press conference, spokesperson Ho Wai Lok reported that the student received a call on August 11 from an individual pretending to be a mainland immigration officer.

The caller claimed that the student’s mainland phone number was linked to fraud and appeared to have detailed biometric information on her. The caller said he was involved in multiple criminal cases in mainland China and requested her cooperation with an investigation.

The call was then transferred to another man who posed as a mainland police officer and prosecutor. This individual instructed the student to transfer funds for a financial review related to the supposed investigation.

Misled by the scam, the student persuaded her parents to provide RMB3 million as a “study abroad guarantee deposit,” which was transferred on August 30.

Between September 9 and 12, she sent the total amount in multiple transfers to various mainland bank accounts specified by the scammers, believing she was awaiting “further updates on the investigation.” It was not until September 17, after seeing news reports about similar scams, that the student realized she had been deceived.

The student reported the fraud to the Macau police on November 23, and the PJ states that they are now actively investigating the case.