TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in Taipei raided a building in Da’an District to bust an illegal gambling den in the early morning hours of Saturday (June 1).
Fifty-one people were detained by police in the raid, with 35 arrested for gambling offenses. An additional nine people were arrested for operating the gambling den, including the main organizer of the operation, a man surnamed Chen (陳), reported UDN.
The other people who were detained included one person arrested for drug possession and six people who were present and questioned on suspicion of illegal activity, but were not charged with any crimes.
Police seized NT$950,000 (US$29,230) in cash, record books, cameras, playing cards, and poker chips on the fourth floor where people were playing Texas Hold’em. Because Chen was renting the entire building, and activity was suspected on other floors, police decided to search each floor.
On the 12th floor, police broke up a party where drug use was suspected. During their search, police questioned the Taiwanese celebrity Nine Chen (陳零九) and several friends.
One of Nine Chen’s friends, a 34-year-old man surnamed Cheng (鄭), was arrested for possession of a marijuana e-cigarette, reported UDN.
Following the incident, Nine Chen posted on social media to defend his reputation. He said that he simply attended a party and was unaware of any illegal activity going on around him, reported SETN.
In related news, police in Kaohsiung also raided an illegal gambling den in the early morning of June 1 and arrested 28 people for gambling with dominoes.
