San Jose police bust up major illegal gambling operation; Alleged mastermind arrested
SAN JOSE -- The alleged mastermind of a criminal organization that owned and operated numerous illegal underground casinos throughout San Jose and several of his associates have been arrested in a series of raids, police announced Tuesday.
Armed with search warrants, detectives from the San Jose police burglary prevention unit spearheaded the raids across town and at a location in Los Banos on April 20.
During the operation, 43-year-old Chuong Ho was taken into custody along with several of his associates. Ho was being held in Santa Clara County jail on numerous charges.
Investigators said they were first tipped to Ho's operation by several complaints from community members and residents. They believe the casinos served as a conduit for illegal activities, which included gambling, sale and use of narcotics, in addition to the purchase and sale of stolen property.
The sites raided in San Jose included:
- 2000 block of Whittington Drive
- 1000 block of Commercial Court
- 400 block of East Williams Street
- 200 block of Prairiewood Court
- 3000 block of Capewood Lane
- 1800 block of Harbor View Avenue
The seventh location was at 21000 block of Ingomar Grade in the city of Los Baños.
The search of the casinos also resulted in the seizure of over $285,000, dozens of large illegal gambling machines, 11 firearms, over eight pounds of crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, 500 MDMA pills, and over 2,000 pieces of stolen mail.
Submit crime tips and remain anonymous by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org. If the information you submit leads to an arrest, you are eligible for a cash reward from the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program
