Inside the Markham casino bust: Armed guards, $11.5M in guns, cash and property. Oh, and shark fins
Police: 'Human sex trafficking is also suspected and is also under investigation'
In total, police said 11 guns — including a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle — and more than $11.5 million dollars in cash, gaming supplies, alcohol and property were seized from the mansion.
Thirty-three people have been charged with more than 70 counts, including alcohol and weapons charges, York Regional Police said.
“This was a large high-end operation. Gamblers had access to accommodation, spa treatments, high-end food and beverage services,” said Supt. Mike Slack, adding that contraband like braised shark fin and $1.5 million in top-shelf liquor and wine were also available.
“Human sex trafficking is also suspected and is also under investigation.”
Deputy Chief Brian Bigras said investigators spent months on the case — which was dubbed Operation End Game — before finally executing a search warrant with a tactical team on July 23.
Bigras said the operation was complicated by the presence of firearms and guard dogs, and a previous attempt at executing the warrant was called off after children were spotted at the property’s patio. The armed guards at the property also tried to intimidate officers during interactions leading up to the execution of their search warrant, police said.warrants have been executed at other gambling properties around the Greater Toronto Area as a result of the investigation, leading to more charges and arrests.
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On July 3, 2020, a warrant was executed at a commercial unit at 3276 Midland Avenue in Scarborough. There, gaming tables, slot machines and at least $20,000 in cash was seized. Five arrests were made.
On July 30, a warrant was executed at a home on Woodland Acres in Vaughan. Three arrests were made, and at least $70,000 in cash was uncovered.
Some of those alleged gaming houses were lower-end venues that targeted people with gambling addictions, police said. Investigators alleged that operators provided users with methamphetamine so they could continue to gamble without having to sleep.
“We want people to avoid these illegal gaming houses … because they support the presence of organized crime in our community, and that threatens the safety of each and every one of us,” said Bigras.
“While the total value of these seizures is significant, this is only the start of our efforts to dismantle organized crime groups who are operating illegal gaming operations in York Region,” said Chief Jim MacSween in a statement on York Regional Police’s website.
“The money moving through these underground casinos leads to huge profits for criminals that fund other ventures such as prostitution and drug trafficking. This illegal high-stakes gambling also leads to gun violence, armed robberies, kidnappings, extortion and other serious violent offences within our community. We will continue to target organized crime in York Region and use every tool at our disposal, including forensic accounting, to ensure these criminals are held accountable.”
Slack said there has been a noted uptick in illegal gambling activities during the COVID-19 pandemic as legal casinos had been closed for months as part of provincial efforts to fight the virus.
“As casinos closed … it opened up an opportunity for these extravagant locations to make a profit,” said Slack.
The force said it also launched a new project — dubbed Double Down — that aims to further clamp down on organized crime networks and prevent violence that could result from criminal activity.
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