Oakland Police Raid Alleged Illegal Casino, Seize Drugs, Guns, Cash
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Posted on: July 20, 2021, 09:58h.
Last updated on: July 20, 2021, 10:15h.
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) recently raided an alleged illegal casino operation. Drugs, gaming machines, and firearms were discovered and subsequently seized.
Oakland, Ca., police executed a search warrant on July 15 in the 1400 block of 14th Avenue. The location is just three miles north of RingCentral Coliseum, where the MLB Oakland A’s play their home baseball games.
Following numerous complaints from the community, law enforcement obtained the necessary warrant to inspect the business, which was disguised as a car wash. Upon entry, police recovered 18 illegal, unlicensed gaming machines, six firearms, and two assault rifles, 30 high-capacity magazines, and $21,000 in cash.
“For more than a year, our community did exactly what we’ve asked,” declared Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. “They partnered with OPD on an issue that has plagued this community with narcotics, human trafficking, and illegal gambling.
This investigation highlights the success when the community partners with our officers. We will continue to do our best to address illegal gambling throughout Oakland,” the chief added.
Officers additionally found various illegal narcotics, including methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, and 60 bottles of promethazine. The street value of the drugs is said to be around $76,000.
Oakland Police said one person was taken into custody. The investigation is ongoing.
Gambling Problem
Long dubbed the crime capital of the San Francisco Bay Area, the City of Oakland is notorious for illegal activity.
NeighborhoodScout, a website that compiles police data to formulate its Crime Risk Ratings, grades Oakland a 1 out of 100 on the index. For every 1,000 residents in Oakland, nearly 79 will be the victim of a crime each year. Thirteen will be the subject of a violent crime, while 66 are victims of property crime.
With those statistics in mind, it should come as little surprise that the recent alleged illegal casino bust was not the first in recent weeks. In fact, Oakland police say it’s the fourth raid of an underground gaming operation this year.
We’ve shut down at least three illegal gambling operations in and around the same area. We do know that they’re tied to violence, including murders, kidnappings, narcotics trafficking and human trafficking,” Oakland Police Captain James Beere told KTVU.
Neighbors in the East Oakland neighborhood repeatedly complained to cops that something shady was going on inside the building adjacent to the car wash. One local told KTVU that at night, people would be seen parking their cars near the car wash, and then walk inside the building.
Legal Options
Bay Area residents don’t have to travel far to find a legal casino with slot machines and table games. Along with card clubs throughout California, tribal casinos with state Class III gaming compacts are legally permitted to offer games traditionally found inside commercial casinos.
For Oaklanders, one option is the Graton Resort in Casino. The tribal casino is roughly an hour’s drive north in Rohnert Park, just south of Santa Rosa.
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