© Provided by Vancouver Sun Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C.
Charges have been approved against two Richmond women after an alleged illegal gambling operation was shuttered by a specialized B.C. police unit.
The multi-jurisdictional team raided an apartment in the 5500-block of Cooney Road in Richmond in August 2021 after a three-month investigation.
The search turned up activity, products and people consistent with an illegal gaming house.
On Thursday, the B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges for keeping a betting house and possessing proceeds of crime against Jian Rong, 54, and Kuo Li Wong, 44. Wong also faces a charge for weapon possession.
Both women are expected to appear in court at a later date.
“Illegal gaming, and the locations that facilitate them, have been the root of other criminal offences that impact the safety of the public,” said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU).
Winpenny said in a statement that any gambling operation in B.C. must be sanctioned by the province’s gaming policy and enforcement branch.
The CFSEU team that investigates illegal gaming focuses on those working on behalf of organized crime and gangs, and cracks down on such things as money laundering, loan sharking and predatory lending, internet and video gaming operations and off-shore lottery schemes. It also investigates high-limit card rooms, underground casinos and illegal bookmaking.