Miami Police Crackdown On Illegal Gambling Machines
MIAMI (CBS4) - Miami Police officers seized a dozen illegal gambling machines from two different stores along Northwest 22nd Ave. on Wednesday in what authorities are calling an ongoing effort aimed at curbing illegal gambling.
CBS4 crews were there as the simultaneous raids happened at Mario's Supermarket at Northwest 22nd Ave. and 33rd Street; and at the New Way Supermarket at Northwest 22nd Ave. and 34th street.
Police were not sure if any store owners or employees were going to be cited or arrested or fined. But they believe the enforcement sends a message that such activity will not be tolerated. And they say more raids are planned.
"The police chief has said that he is interested in going after those who flagrantly break the law," said Delrish Moss, the Executive Assistant to the Chief. "In the past, the Chief has said there has been a link between such illegal gambling and organized crime. We are not saying that this is the case here, but the Chief wants to prevent that from happening."
Moss also urged the public to call police if they know anything about such illegal machines.
Most of the machines were confiscated from the New Way Supermarket, where employees and owners told CBS4's Peter D'Oench they had "no comment."
At Mario's Supermarket, owner Apas Hamad told D'Oench that he had only had the machines for three weeks.
"The police can do whatever they want," Hamad told D'Oench through a translator, Ghazi Sahlot, who is his cousin.
Hamad told D'Oench that he was taken by surprise and he said while did not fault the police, he blamed the people who sold him the machines.
"They should have told me or showed me paperwork that these machines are illegal," said Hamad. "I had no idea."
A third store at Northwest 38th Street was also raided, but it's not known if any machines were taken.
The raids come amid criticism from Police Chief Miguel Exposito that Mayor Tomas Regalado has interfered with his ongoing crackdown on illegal gambling.
A spokesman for Mayor Regalado told CBS4 that he had not received any information on the latest raids and thus he had no comment on them.
