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Auckland Begins Cracking Down on Illegal Casinos

On July 6th, after the successful conviction of 5 defendants charged with operating an illegal casino in Auckland, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs announced that it has begun cracking down on illegal casino operations. These were actually the first convictions under the stringent controls established by the gambling Act of 2003.

The defendants were arrested in January 2005 during a police raid on the Auckland Club and Sunrise Cafe after being tipped off in September of 2004 by New Zealand Customs staff who found the company importing gambling equipment and chips with a face value of $480,600.

The convicted defendants each received fines relating to their illegal casino activities. A sixth defendant was charged with providing the illegal gambling equipment, but his case was dismissed by the Auckland District Court.

The charges and fines for the convicted were: An Yi Li, 45, of Albany, $12,000. Fung Yeung, 54, of Highland Park, $8000. Chun Ping Cheung, 48, of Otahuhu, $8000. Yong Jiao Lu, 39, of Mt Roskill, $5000. Wilson Chee, 33, of Dannemora, $1500.

National Casino Manager, Debbie Despard, with the Department of Internal Affairs, said the closure of the illegal casino was a tribute to the dedication, cooperation and work of New Zealand Customs, the Department of Internal Affairs gambling inspectors and police.

According to Debbie Despard, "Government agencies work closely together to curb this type of offending because illegal gambling can be associated with other criminal activity, such as generating cash for drug trafficking". She further stated that, "While there was no such evidence in this case, New Zealand is not immune from criminals trying to get involved in gambling and we must remain vigilant."

 

Monday, January 01 , 2007
Victor Copeland