Police Sweep Nets 262 People At Illegal City Casino

[george]

Police sweep nets 262 people at illegal city casino

Seizes Bt152m worth of chips, 1,000 card decks

BANGKOK: -- A special police unit stormed a row of 10 three-storey commercial buildings in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district yesterday and arrested 262 suspected gamblers, a senior police officer said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lt-General Thavornsak Thepchatri said he led 60 officers in a pre-dawn raid of a major Pratunam gambling den located in Soi Chareonsuk, reportedly belonging to a man named Paijit Thammarojpinit, also known as Hia Por Pratunam.

The 121 male and 141 female gambling suspects are being detained at the Crime Suppression Unit for interrogation until tomorrow. They will then be taken to Dusit District Court to hear the gambling charges against them, Thavornsak said.

During the raid, police also seized Bt152 million worth of gambling chips, Bt538,810 in cash, 1,000 decks of card, 200 dice, two slot machines, a safe deposit box, four surveillance cameras, five card-shuffling devices, Hi-Lo materials, one baccarat table, one banknote-counting device and nearly 100 mobile phones.

“This is the biggest gambling bust since the Taopoon gambling raid last June, because this den has been around for a long time, has a lot of customers and deals in dozens of millions of baht per day,” said Thavornsak. He said the raid took about a month to plan.

After undercover officers – who had been frequenting the den acting as gamblers – signalled the team, one group of officers raided from the front, taking about 30 minutes to cut through the entrance’s 10 locks, while other groups covered secondary exits. Although most suspects on the scene were nabbed, police did not apprehend the alleged owner, Paijit.

Thavornsak said the den had been closed before but had been back in business since January 28. He credited Inspector-General Seripisut Temiyavej, who ordered the raid, as taking a tough line on gambling establishments.

Although local police did not participate in the raid, Phya Thai superintendent Colonel Karun Klingprayoon insisted the local police did not turn a blind eye to gambling dens in the area but had been cracking down on them, saying 30 gamblers had been arrested a week earlier.

He said policing the dens was not easy because of a shortage of officers, the fact that gamblers are familiar with officers’ faces, and the tough security systems protecting the larger dens.

One resident of Soi Chareonsuk said gambling was commonplace in the neighbourhood, and that she had never seen such a serious police raid before.

--The Nation 2006-02-05

[sriracha john]

UPDATE...the owner was further busted...

Por Pratunam found guilty in Sereepisut case

The Dusit district court decided to sentence Paijit Thamrojpinit, aka Por Pratunam, to six-month imprisonment for defaming former national police chief Pol Gen Sereepisut Taemeeyaves. Por Pratunam, an influential figure in Bangkok's Pratunam area, was also fined for 50,000 baht on the case. He was later released on bail pending his appeal. The court found that Por Pratunam is guilty of defaming Pol Gen Sereepisut by alleging him with the abuse of authority when he led police to a raid on a casino allegedly owned by Por Pratunam in February

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=127503

Edited May 6, 2008 by sriracha john

[Supaporn]

UPDATE...the owner was further busted...

Por Pratunam found guilty in Sereepisut case

The Dusit district court decided to sentence Paijit Thamrojpinit, aka Por Pratunam, to six-month imprisonment for defaming former national police chief Pol Gen Sereepisut Taemeeyaves. Por Pratunam, an influential figure in Bangkok's Pratunam area, was also fined for 50,000 baht on the case. He was later released on bail pending his appeal. The court found that Por Pratunam is guilty of defaming Pol Gen Sereepisut by alleging him with the abuse of authority when he led police to a raid on a casino allegedly owned by Por Pratunam in February

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=127503

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why this raid was carried out. So some Pol Gen had his feathers ruffled and he retaliated. That will teach other den owners to not respect the hands that protect their illegal operations!

[astral]

Now why not have legal casinos and put the tax money in the hands of the government,

rather than a few corrupt cops?

[Scott]

Although I don't really agree with the laws against gambling, it seems that the BIB did a good job. Now if they could turn their attention to a few other important problems!

[TAWP]

In the hands of the corrupt government...

Nice to note that he was sentenced for defamation...and no mentioning of running a gamble-den.

[stumonster]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why this raid was carried out. So some Pol Gen had his feathers ruffled and he retaliated. That will teach other den owners to not respect the hands that protect their illegal operations!

IANARS - but the raid happened 2 years ago and I would bet in all irony the place is operating today.

[digitele]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why this raid was carried out. So some Pol Gen had his feathers ruffled and he retaliated. That will teach other den owners to not respect the hands that protect their illegal operations!

IANARS - but the raid happened 2 years ago and I would bet in all irony the place is operating today.

This is the biggest gambling bust since the Taopoon gambling raid last June, because this den has been around for a long time, has a lot of customers and deals in dozens of millions of baht per day,” said Thavornsak. He said the raid took about a month to plan.

They stopped the payments...Oh Gosh! No further gambling dens after this police action.

Correction, no competing ones for awhile in that district

[Johpa]

....Por Pratunam, an influential figure in Bangkok's Pratunam area, was also fined for 50,000 baht on the case.....

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=127503

Ouch, that fine must have really, really hurt!