A total of 48 people were arrested when police raided and closed down multiple triad-controlled gambling dens during a two-day operation in Tai Po and Sheung Shui. During the crackdown, police arrested 34 men and 14 women, aged between 17 and 65, and seized arcade machines, mahjong tables and HK$10,000 in cash, along with gambling chips and illegal drugs. During the operation, police also fined 28 of the suspects for violating rules that banned gatherings of more than two people. Tai Po assistant district commander Johnson Chong Shing-yat said these illegal gambling dens mushroomed amid the closure of mahjong parlors and game centers in view of the social distancing regulations. “The venues posed a risk of transmitting the coronavirus because of poor ventilation and hygiene, it is irresponsible for them to set up such illegal gambling dens or drug dens,” stressed Chong.

Source: The Standard December 24, 2020 05:26 UTC