Officials raid San Jose store over illegal gambling

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- In a story ABC7 News broke Tuesday morning, numerous arrests were made after law enforcement officials conducted a raid targeting illegal gambling in the South Bay on Tuesday.

Store merchants say they sell music, phone cards and groceries, but law enforcement sources told ABC7 News it was the scene of some illegal activity that needed to be stopped.

Just after 10:30 a.m., the Special Operations Merge Unit raided a store right on Capitol Expressway. It's part of a sting on illegal gambling operations in San Jose. Video shows San Jose police officers going inside Merrieneth Filipino Store, near Andrew Hill High School.

Law enforcement officials confiscated at least 10 digital gaming machines that were found inside. "We believe that there was an on-going criminal enterprise here involving illegal gaming, as well as other crimes such as stolen vehicles, anything from prostitution to narcotics and we believe that some of the suspects that were involved in this case may have been armed, that's why we utilized our SWAT team," San Jose Department Lt. Jason Dwyer said.

Just a few miles away, San Jose police arrested four people at a home on Bouveron Court and one of them was the owner of the store.

Police told ABC7 News this home had been at the center of multiple noise and crime complaints in recent years. "Patrol officers followed up on that information and eventually developed a significant case involving multiple locations, multiple identified suspects and that led us to this location here," Dwyer said.

About a dozen people were led out in handcuffs into a police van near Vernice Avenue and Regan Street.

A law enforcement source said gambling machines were also found there. Neighbors were frustrated day after day, but not surprised by what they saw. "Their friends would come, make loud noise and wake up my baby. Their dogs would come to the house, bark at my kids, I didn't like that, I was like, 'just leave us alone,'" Tina Maldonado said.

Police have not released the names of the four people they've placed under arrest.

Some business owners who prefer to remain anonymous, say they're glad to see that police are taking action.