Items seized in the raid. Photo: Handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2179793/nine-arrested-sham-shui-po-flat-used-gambling-den Law and Crime
Nine arrested in Hong Kong flat used as gambling den with HK$240,000 in betting chips and cash seized
- Officers are investigating the operations of the Sham Shui Po flat, believed to be run by a woman, 57, and her assistant
Police escorting suspects into a van. Photo: Handout
Police arrested nine people and seized about HK$240,000 (US$31,000) in betting chips and cash when they raided a flat used as an illegal gambling den in Hong Kong’s poorest district in the early hours of Friday.
The two men and seven women, aged between 28 and 60, were suspected to be involved in online baccarat games in the Nam Cheong Street flat in Sham Shui Po, according to police. Officers stormed the venue at 1am.
“During the operation, officers seized HK$23,800 in cash, HK$210,000 in betting chips, a baccarat table, two computers and three computer screens,” police said in a statement.
A 57-year-old woman among the suspects was thought to be the operator of the den and a 54-year-old woman was believed to be her assistant.
Police said the remaining seven were suspected gamblers. Officers were investigating how the den had operated.
As of 10am, the suspects were being held for questioning and none had been charged.
In Hong Kong, operating a gambling establishment carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and a HK$5 million fine. Gambling in an illegal establishment carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a HK$30,000 fine.
Separately, police arrested five men and seized 12 grams of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of HK$17,000 in a park on Lai Chi Kok Road in the same district at about 10pm on Thursday.
The five suspects, aged between 22 and 35, were detained at Sham Shui Po Police Station.