$7.5M in Assets Seized After Canadian Illegal Gambling Raid, 29 Arrests Made

Police first got a tip on the operation in late 2019. The inquiry began in May when York police started to look into illegal gaming dens and underground casinos in Markham.

Our officers confirmed that this was a large, high-end operation, York Police Supt. Mike Slack said during a press conference held Wednesday in front of the mansion. Gamblers had access to accommodations, spa treatment, high-end food, and beverage services.

Called “Project Endgame,” the investigation so far has led to the arrests of four suspects each on multiple charges, including illegal gambling counts. They were identified as Wei Wei, 52, Wei Dong, 32, Xiang Yue Chen, 48, and Chen Wei, 25.

Other suspects were charged with a single crime each. Each charge related to gambling.

Two other properties were also searched as part of a wider effort to crack down on illegal gambling in the region. More property was seized. York police have made 47 other recent arrests for gambling-related charges, reported CBC, Canada’s national TV network.

Last December, authorities uncovered what’s thought to be one of the nation’s biggest underground gambling rings in its history.

The (OPP) said their inquiry led to the discovery of an alleged illegal gambling network that raked in $131 million over a five-year span. Police seized 21 firearms, houses, cars, and cash while arresting 28 Ontario residents.

The OPP believes the network had ties to the Hells Angels, as well as a prominent Canadian Mafia crime family. The OPP said the investigation ran two years.

Last month two Chinese Canadians suspected by authorities of involvement in a billion-dollar casino money laundering scheme were shot at a Japanese restaurant in Richmond, British Columbia.

One of the men, Jian Jun Zhu, 44, died at the scene. The other, Paul King Jin, was hospitalized and was released following treatment, police said.

This summer , a 60-year-old Canadian blackjack and poker player, was charged in connection with the death of his gaming partner, Vida Smith, 69. Nine days after her disappearance, he was charged with manslaughter. He has also been charged with 27 weapons violations, CBC reported.