Operator News
Argentina – Illegal gambling ‘kingpin’ arrested in major operation
By Phil - 9 September 2016
An operation involving several raids on property as well as the confiscation of around 15 envelopes stuffed with cash has been carried out by a special task force in the province of Buenos Aires.
Forty armed officers took part in the operation which was supervised by Buenos Aires province Security Minister Cristian Ritondo and Head of Lottery and Casinos Eugenio Meliton López for the province of Buenos Aires.
Police confiscated a total of US$750,000, $250,000 pesos and €10,000 in cash in the envelopes which it is believed had been earmarked to bribe corrupt police officers from a number of municipalities in the province so that they would turn a blind eye to a large scale illegal betting operation in their respective jurisdictions.
The cash was found in two safes on property belonging to Adrian Almaráz who was immediately arrested by order of magistrate Graciela Angriman and brought in for questioning on Sunday night. A spokesman linked to the operation later described him as “one of the most powerful kingpins of illegal gaming in the province.”
Each of the 15 envelopes had the names of police stations and in one case a police division written on them all belonging to the western suburbs of Buenos Aires. The clandestine betting operation centre, which is considered to be the largest in the region, was located in the municipality of Castelar. The property was fortified with armoured doors, gates, security cameras and had an electrified fence according to local press reports.
Twelve women were also arrested for allegedly handling hundreds of cash filled envelopes from the game which took place four times a day in seven illegal betting agencies according to the police. Eight telephone lines were also used to take illegal wagers according to police sources.
Illegal gambling is widespread in the province. Head of the of Lottery and Casinos, Eugenio Meliton López told press that the size of the illegal gambling sector is five times that of the legal sector. The information, which included the video of the police operation, was unveiled on Sunday night by the current affairs TV program La Cornisa.
The news comes at a time when a major investigation is also under way into claims that corrupt official could have used money generated by bingo halls and lotteries in the province of Buenos Aires in order to launder money and finance political campaigns. The government has ordered a wide sweeping investigation into the activities of the ex governor of Buenos Aires Province Daniel Scioli for alleged fraud and money-laundering after allegations that he removed more than $20bn pesos in cash before last year’s electoral campaign, a claim that Scioli has strongly denied.
