FBI, San Jose Police Raid Vietnamese Cafes, Seize Nearly 100 Illegal Gambling Machines
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – Dozens of San Jose police officers and FBI agents raided several Vietnamese cafes Tuesday night, in a major operation to root out illegal gambling machines at the establishments.
The raids, known as "Operation Omni," has been billed as San Jose's largest ever crackdown on illegal gambling that police had been working on for the past year and a half.
A KPIX 5 crew watched agents seize machines at one of the cafes targeted, the Golden King Teahouse on Alum Rock Avenue, around 7:00 p.m.
"The only thing I can confirm at this time is that we are serving multiple search warrants and arrest warrants in the area," FBI special agent Greg Wuthrich told KPIX 5.
Authorities said the gambling at the cafes have made them hotbeds of prostitution, drugs and violence.
A KPIX 5 undercover report from a year and a half ago shows the former galaxy club on McKee Road offering lap dances for $20 each.
The club was the worst offender at the city time and shut down a few weeks after that report aired.
Around 85 to 100 machines were seized, according to authorities. Investigators say the machines can generate $1,000 to $5,000 a week. A large chunk of that money is believed to finance gang activity.
It is unclear how many people were arrested in Tuesday night's raids.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, the following cafes were raided:
Mai Phuong Café, 2897 Senter Road
Xinh Xinh Café, 1075 Tully Road
Wave Café, 1969 Tully Road
Got Hong Coffee House, 1694 Tully Rd.
Vogue Cafe, 2455 Alvin Avenue
Tuong Vi Café, 2485 Alvin Avenue
Café Dang, 2860 Quimby Road
Thuy Em Café, 1054 Story Road
168 Café, 950 Story Road
Xanh Café, 1915 Alum Rock Avenue
Golden King Teahouse, 2650 Alum Rock Avenue