Friday, March 30, 2007

Cary Police say they have broken up an illegal poker gambling hall that was
housed in a nondescript warehouse and have arrested over 40 people on
various charges. Acting on an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip, the Cary Police
Department served a search warrant at 233 "M" East Johnson St. on Friday,
March 23rd shortly after midnight. The bland looking warehouse where police
say the gambling operation was located is in the Adams Industrial Park
around the corner from Woody's Tavern in downtown Cary next to Happy Jap's
Auto Repair. The auto repair shop was not involved in the poker operation,
say police. In a report on WRAL-TV, the owner of the Japanese car repair
shop said he often saw a 100 people or more go into the building. In
Friday's bust, Cary Police cited more than 40 people with various charges
related to drugs, alcohol and gambling. No one was hurt during the raid,
say police. Upon entering the unit, Police say that the lessee of the
warehouse space Matthew McCoy, 25, of Bulon Dr., Cary was found to be
"running an illegal poker gaming operation." In a phone interview with the
Raleigh Chronicle on Tuesday, Cary Police Captain Dave Wulff said that the
operation had been going on for at least a month and that the warehouse had
been hosting large poker games up to five times a week. "This was not just a
friendly game of poker, this was a high stakes game for profit," said
Captain Wulff to the Chronicle. According to Captain Wulff, the operation
took a cut of the games to make a profit and also sold liquor to players
without a liquor license for additional revenue. Wulff said there were six
tables present with 10 to 12 seats at each table where the players played
hands of poker. But there were no other gaming tables and regular casino
items such as slot machines or roulette tables were not present, Wulff said.
According to a report on WRAL-TV, over $20,000 in cash was siezed from the
operation. Although many folks play poker for fun, the operator crossed the
line when it was turned into a for profit business, said the police.

"While we realize and appreciate that many friends and neighbors enjoy
playing cards and other games in good fun as part of their recreational
activities, doing so for money simply isn't legal in our state," Wulff said
in a statement to the media.

Police cited NC General Statute 14-292 which says, "any person or
organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or
bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of
value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a
class 2 misdemeanor."

The warehouse lessee Matthew McCoy was charged with several misdemeanor
charges including one count of gambling, one count of possession for sale of
any alcoholic beverage without permits and one count of unauthorized
possession of liquor.

The Cary Police also say that one of the players present was arrested on
drug charges. William Tillman, 45, of Valley Ct., Raleigh, was charged with
one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana,
and gambling.

Thirty-nine other men and women from around the Triangle and state were
charged with a single gambling charge (listed below).

"We were prepared for anything, given that the tip we received suggested
that we might encounter weapons, drugs, and large amounts of cash," said
Captain Dave Wulff in a media statement about the bust. "Thanks to the
assistance of our partnering agencies Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Wake County District Attorney's Office
and the National Guard RAID unit, we were able to halt the illegal activity
without incident."

The Cary Police also said that heroin was found at the scene, but could not
be linked
to any of the arrestees, so no one was charged with possession of it.

The Cary Police said that the gambling violations, alcohol violations,
possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana charges are
all class 2 misdemeanors. A class 2 misdemeanor carries a maximum of 1 to
60 days in jail, a fine and court costs.

The following people were each charged with just one class 2 misdemeanor
charge of gambling: