The Macao police have nabbed 11 suspected illegal laborers in a hotel-casino construction site, local media reported Thursday.

Macao Post Daily quoted police sources as saying that 53 police personnel Wednesday launched a massive swoop on the site and the raid lasted for four hours, involving identification checks of 713 laborers.

The newspaper reported that the suspects included nine holding mainland passports and two holding Hong Kong travel documents, aged between 30 and 66.

The swoop was a routine operation against illegal laboring on local construction sites, the sources were cited.

The construction industry has been booming in Macao, which was viewed by local analysts as being generated by the blossoming gaming business.

The employment of illegal workers is a crime that incurs hefty fines and imprisonment in case of repeat offenders. Illegal employed workers are customarily ordered to leave Macao.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2006)