Arrests in suspected illegal gambling den raids

Tens of thousands of pounds in cash have been seized and three people arrested in police raids on suspected illegal gambling dens in South Yorkshire.

The raids, in Sheffield and Doncaster on Wednesday, involved South Yorkshire Police and organisations including the Gambling Commission and Trading Standards.

One of the three people arrested was held on suspicion of immigration offences, another for possession of a bladed article and the third for gambling offences, police said.

Illegal gambling dens are unlicensed premises often linked to money laundering, drugs and immigration offences and, according to Ch Supt Jamie Henderson, they regularly had "organised crime at their roots".

The cash was seized at a venue in the London Road area of Sheffield, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The raids involved dozens of officers and were part of Operation Duxford, which is also focused on issues such as drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour.

Speaking following the operation, Henderson said: "Illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. We know illegal gambling dens have exploitation, violence and entrenched organised crime.

"Our job here today and over the next couple of days is to try to tackle that."

He said the intelligence suggested that the gambling dens were "hiding in plain sight in venues such as rooms above retail premises, the back rooms of licensed venues and in nightclubs".

Henderson also warned that vulnerable people were being exploited as part of these illegal operations.

He explained they often ended up in what he called "debt bondage", which was "when people owe money, some significant amounts of money, that they're never going to be able to repay without themselves becoming involved in criminality".

Henderson said those people often ended up having to store firearms or drugs as a way of repaying what they owed.

In one of the premises raided, a row of gambling machines and gambling tables with chips on them was found.

Speaking at the scene, Ch Insp John Mallows said: "We've found considerable sums of cash which had been locked in safes.

"The gambling machines themselves were also full of money, which obviously people have been actively using, so we've seized that money."

Mallows added that the gambling machines would also be seized as part of the investigation.

Sue Young, Gambling Commission executive director of operations, said: "This action should send a clear message: if you're running an illegal gambling operation, we will work with police and other partners to shut you down and ensure you face serious consequences."

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