Friday, January 12, 2007

A South Hall gambling raid has resulted in the arrests of 24 people. The
bust followed an investigation into complaints from people about a house in
the 4200 block of Winder Highway. Lt. Scott Ware, MANS commander, said
agents received additional information "from several cooperating sources"
and were able to confirm through their own surveillances a large number of
vehicles parked at the house a couple of nights a week. Agents went to the
house around 11:00 Tuesday night with a search warrant. Inside, officers say
they found found each room set up with poker playing tables, a food buffet
and snacks, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. They say there 26 people in the
house and 24 of them were arrested. Lt. Ware says agents seized two
firearms, two personal computers, four large flat screen televisions,
numerous poker playing apparatus such as playing cards, tables, chips and an
electric currency counter. Also seized was about $13,000 from players and
dealers. Ware says more arrests are expected. Agencies participating in the
raid were the Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, the Gainesville-Hall
County Gang Task Force, the Hall County Sheriff's Office, and the federal
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.