Officers from Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), working in partnership with the Gambling Commission, HMRC and Cardiff City Council Licensing, executed six warrants across Cardiff on Wednesday February 28, following intelligence that an illegal gambling den was operating in Splott.
Two males were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and gambling act offences. The den, which occupied the upstairs area of an industrial unit in Splott, was searched, and all gambling paraphernalia seized and removed. The seizure included six poker tables, a spinning prize wheel, poker coins and chips, and multiple flatscreen televisions.
Kay Roberts, Gambling Commission Executive Director of Operations, said: “We are committed to tackling illegal gambling activity across the UK and will continue working closely with law enforcement and partner agencies to achieve this.”
The Cardiff den was raided as part of Operation Henhouse, a month-long intensification period against fraud. Funded by the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), Operation Henhouse was a collaborative effort by multiple police forces, organised crime units, and partner agencies across the UK.
Tarian ROCU coordinated the activity for southern Wales. In total, six arrests were made, seven warrants were executed, and over ten Cease and Desist notices were issued to individuals committing fraud and money laundering offences across the region.
Detective Sergeant Emma Brown, of Tarian’s Proactive Economic Crime Team (PECT), said: “Fraud has become the most commonly recorded crime in England and Wales and is often committed in conjunction with other serious offences, such as money laundering.
Over the course of the Henhouse intensification period, we have arrested individuals under suspicion of Fraud by False Representation and money laundering, together with executing warrants in respect of the distribution of illegal TV Firesticks.
Our engagement teams have also delivered cybercrime and fraud awareness inputs to community groups, colleges and universities, and businesses, to help prevent people from becoming victims of fraud.
