Macau police arrest 15 in casino loan-sharking sting

Macau Judiciary Police have announced the arrest of 15 mainland Chinese nationals over their alleged involvement in a loan-sharking ring targeting casino gamblers at Cotai casinos.

Police confirmed the suspects were detained in connection with a scheme that charged gamblers extremely high interest rates, based on an agreed principal amount of RMB7m.

Addressing local reporters at a press conference, a Judiciary Police spokesperson confirmed the 12 men and three women were part of the same loan sharking operation that resulted in the arrest of 21 individuals in March and June this year.

The Macau Judiciary Police confirmed that they are searching for the mastermind of the suspected loan-sharking operation and are working in close cooperation with their counterparts in mainland China.

Officials have confirmed the 15 suspects will be transferred to the Public Prosecution Office for further questioning, and are facing charges of being part of an organised crime ring.

Authorities in Macau have reported a rise in the recorded number of gaming-related crimes in the first three months of this year with 424 cases being recorded during this period, creating a year-on-year jump of 15.2%.

During the first three months this year, a total of 105 cases of gaming-related suspected unlawful detention were recorded, representing a year-on-year increase of 18%. Typically the bulk of these unlawful detention cases are in connection with loan-sharking operations targeting Macau gamblers.

Nonetheless, suspected cases of usury, .i.e. the unlawful lending of money declined year-on-year by 16% in the first quarter to 84 instances, according to official figures.