Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) has handed over 42 money exchange gang members to mainland police after seizing a total of HK$3 million in cash during a recent sting.
The joint operation between police from the two jurisdictions saw the PJ dispatch 100 police officers to various hotels and residences in Macau’s Cotai area on Wednesday to arrest 42 men and women suspected of engaging in illegal money exchanges.
During the operation, the police found that the 42 people in question hailed from Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Beijing and Jilin and were aged between 27 and 63. Police also seized about HK$3 million in cash, HK$160,000 in casino chips and 56 mobile phones.
The superintendent later handed over the 42 suspected gang members to the PJ’s mainland counterparts via the Border Gate on Wednesday evening.
Police said they will continue to crack down on illegal money-changing activities, stating, ‘’Apart from stepping up daily patrols, the police will also work more closely with the mainland police to improve the security environment in Macau.”
The arrests come with Macau’s new “Illegal Gaming Law” passed the final vote in the Macau Legislative Assembly last week, set to come into effect the day after it is officially announced. The new law criminalizes money exchange gangs and imposes a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment for any illegal exchange for the purpose of gaming.
According to the PJ, after the new law comes into effect, the police will have the legal basis and enforcement power to deal with money exchange gangs and will consider transferring them to mainland law enforcement agencies.
Since the Ministry of Public Security set up a special task force in May this year, the Macau police and mainland public security authorities have stepped up their actions against these money exchange gangs, having previously handed over 47 money exchange gangs members to mainland law enforcement agencies in August.
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