Macau and Hong Kong police bust loan shark organization

In a joint operation, Macau and Hong Kong police authorities have cracked down on a criminal organization that has been operating between the two regions in a cross-border loan shark scheme, arresting several suspects and searching for additional fugitives.

The extortion targeted Hong Kong residents who gambled in Macau.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday it apprehended a Macau resident and a Hong Kong resident within Macau’s jurisdiction.

Simultaneously, Hong Kong law enforcement apprehended five individuals in the neighboring region.

Efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the remaining fugitives associated with the illicit lending scheme.

The criminal group came to light after a Hong Kong woman borrowed HKD100,000 from the arrested Macau man for gambling purposes.

After losing all the borrowed money and returning to Hong Kong, the woman was allegedly threatened by other suspects to pay HKD148,000.

The victim reported the case to the police after she had paid HKD80,000.

Members of the criminal group have backgrounds in underground organizations and the group has been active in both Hong Kong and Macau over the past year.

The group provides loans to Hong Kong residents specifically for gambling in Macau.

After the debtors lose all the borrowed money, they are secretly transported to Hong Kong by the group, where they are subjected to intimidation and extortion tactics to coerce the debtors into settling their debts.

The group will prevent debtors from contacting the police or escaping, and those who pick up the debtors at the port will collect the debts and extort money, often demanding an amount twice the original loan.

The joint operation between Macau and Hong Kong police authorities has disrupted the activities of the cross-border loan shark organization, which had been exploiting Hong Kong residents through predatory lending and extortion practices.

Authorities are currently searching for the remaining suspects. Victoria Chan