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Charges have been laid in connection to the bust of a high-end illegal casino that was operating out of a mansion in Markham, Ont.
After a lengthy investigation, which was dubbed Project End Game, police raided the mansion on July 23 with the assistance of tactical teams from other jurisdictions.
The raid resulted in 32 arrests and the search of the mansion resulted in a number of seizures connected to the illegal high-end casino.
More than $1 million in cash, more than $1.5 million worth of alcohol, gaming machines, tables and 11 firearms with ammunition were seized by police.
In addition, the $9-million mansion has also been restrained.
"The money moving through these underground casinos leads to huge profits for criminals that fund other ventures such as prostitution and drug trafficking,” said Chief Jim MacSween of the York Regional Police.
“This illegal high-stakes gambling also leads to gun violence, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion and other serious violent offences within our community.”
When braised shark fin is on the menu and the max bet at the baccarat table is $20k, you can expect plenty of cash around. To guard that cash, these suspects had guns. Lots of them. Further details at https://t.co/3m7Ct9rNDe. pic.twitter.com/hpl1eCoTSI
— York Regional Police (@YRP) September 30, 2020
Although it was the biggest piece of the puzzle, the illegal casino raided on July 23 wasn’t the only one that Project End Game targeted that month.
Another search warrant was executed at a commercial unit in Scarborough on July 3, leading to casino equipment and $20,000 being seized, along with five arrests.
On July 30, more casino equipment and $70,000 was seized after a search warrant was executed in Vaughan, while three more people were arrested.
"While the total value of these seizures is significant, this is only the start of our efforts to dismantle organized crime groups who are operating illegal gaming operations in the York Region," said MacSween.
In total, 45 people have been arrested and 33 of them have been charged with more than 70 criminal offences in connection to Project End Game so far.
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