PJ detains 74 drug suspects from January to May

In the first five months of this year, the Judiciary Police (PJ) detained 74 drug suspects, with 25 individuals arrested for drug trafficking and 46 for drug consumption. The PJ report revealed that three were between the ages of 16 and 21.

Police authorities apprehended 128 suspects involved in 61 drug cases last year, according to data from the PJ, who published a report on drug-related crimes in the city from January 2021 to May of this year.

Data shows that 92 individuals arrested for drug trafficking, 30 for drug consumption, and six for other drug-related offenses such as drug manufacturing, possession of narcotics, psychotropic substances, drug paraphernalia, and encouraging drug use, representing a 29% increase compared to the previous year.

The government investigated 50 drug trafficking cases last year, a number lower than in 2021 but higher than in 2022.

This rise was primarily attributed to Macau’s return to normalcy with the reopening of major border checkpoints in 2023 and the emergence of new drug trafficking routes by criminal organizations in neighboring areas.

The PJ report indicated nine individuals under the age of 21 were involved in drug offenses last year, emphasizing that, despite all of them being non-local residents and the percentage of young people engaged in drug crimes being “extremely low,” the risk has increased due to the recovery of Macau’s economy and improved cross-border transportation links that drug gangs from outside Macau attempt to exploit. LV