PJ arrest four allegedly linked with cross-border smuggling

The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday morning that they have arrested four people linked with cross-border human smuggling from the mainland into Macau, a PJ spokesperson said at the special press conference organized by the force.

According to the PJ, the case was reliant on the collaboration of the Guangdong Province police authorities who jointly investigated the group, leading to the detention of four people in an operation carried out Tuesday.

Among the four men arrested (aged between 31 and 66 years old) is one resident of Macau. In the operation, the police also caught one illegal immigrant.

The police explained that the group that was operating for an unknown period was using fishing boats and vehicles (on the Macau side of the border) to assist illegal immigrants to enter Macau without passing through the border. It was also said that these people had the intention of gambling in the local casinos but it was not explained why they could not enter by legal means.

Using fishing boats, the immigrants arrived in Macau, disembarking at the Inner Harbour area in the surroundings of pier number 6. After that, a 7-seater car driven by the local resident would pick them up and drive them to Cotai where they were lodged in hotels.

The PJ said that during the operation three men from the group including the boatman, the driver, and another member of the group escorting the illegal person were caught, while a fourth man was detained later in Cotai.

The PJ said the last man was responsible for registering the hotel room where the illegals would stay.

It is believed the group would charge about RMB60,000 per trip to assist the illegals to enter Macau.