San Jose, California police, led by the burglary prevention unit, raided multiple properties as part of an investigation into underground casinos and took down an illegal gambling ring.
The raids led to the arrest of the alleged mastermind, Chuong Ho. He faces numerous charges and is being held in Santa Clara County jail. Police also arrested a number of the 43-year-old’s associates.
dozens of illegal gambling machines
During the course of the searches, police seized cash more than $285,000 in cash, over eight pounds of cocaine and crystal meth, 11 firearms, dozens of illegal gambling machines, over 2,000 pieces of stolen mail, and 500 MDMA pills.
Police received scores of complaints from local residents and community members regarding the underground operations. The gambling venues were spread across residential neighborhoods, hiding in plain sight. In addition to offering gambling to patrons around the clock, the facilities also were havens for other criminal activities like the selling of drugs and the handling of stolen property.
This is the latest in a string of raids in California on illegal gambling operations. Just last week, police in Pomona raided six locations and seized dozens of machines.