Oakland Illegal Gambling Operation Raided, Weapons Seized, Three Arrested

Posted on: September 28, 2023, 11:48h. 

Last updated on: September 28, 2023, 11:59h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

An illicit gaming joint was shut down this week in Oakland, Calif. after a court-ordered search. Three suspects were apprehended and several firearms were located.

Oakland Police SUV
An Oakland Police SUV, pictured above. Oakland cops raided an illegal gambling operation this week. (Image: The Oaklandslide)

During the raid of the 77th Avenue operation on Tuesday, authorities found a handgun, a rifle, and a shotgun, according to Bay City News. Gambling machines also were seized.

The unnamed suspects were arrested on unspecified outstanding warrants.

As local police went through evidence, they also found items they believe are connected to a local murder, the report added. Details on the homicide weren’t released.

Taking part in the investigation were officers from the Oakland Police Department (OPD), the US Marshals Service Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and officers from the San Ramon Police Department.

The OPD Criminal Investigation Division is continuing to investigate the evidence collected at the illegal casino.

Oakland police say they will keep on investigating illegal gambling dens, adding that landlords can be fined if the operations are located in their buildings.

Prior Oakland Raids

In July, a raid of an illegal gaming joint in Oakland led to the arrest of four men on weapons charges. Each suspect was charged with illegal gun possession or illegal firearm activity following the July 5 search. The operation was located on East 16th Street near the city’s Fruitvale neighborhood.

The suspects ranged in age from 19 to 23, and each lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their names were not immediately released.

Officers also seized three guns, numerous magazines, an unspecified amount of cash, ledgers, and slot machines from the operation. One of the firearms was an assault-style rifle, according to CBS News. Several extended magazines also were seized.

The court-ordered search was the third raid at the same residence within a year, Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo, D-5, told California TV station KTVU.

In July, Gallo said there were five illicit gambling dens in operation within a mile of each other. Some are in businesses that turn into gambling dens at night.

One gambling site can be raided and another one can soon open, he explained, adding that it can be hard to get residents to report the wrongdoing.

More than a dozen illegal gambling dens operating in Oakland have been identified by local police since 2020, and at least three of the operations have been raided.