Major raid due to illegal gambling in East Friesland

A few days ago, there was a large-scale raid in tranquil East Frisia and Friesland involving the police, customs and the public prosecutor's office. A total of around 400 officers were involved in the operation. But were any arrests made during the large-scale raid and what evidence was seized?

In the evening hours of 9 November 2024, a large-scale raid was carried out in the districts of Leer, Emden, Aurich, Wittmund and Friesland. In this context, searches were carried out by police, customs and the public prosecutor's office. The charge: illegal gambling and other criminal offences. The measures are directed against several people from the clan milieu. The investigations are therefore being led by the Central Office for Combating Criminal Clan Structures, which is attached to the Osnabrück public prosecutor's office. As recently as last October, we reported on a major raid against illegal gambling in Hamburg.

Clans allegedly operated illegal slot machines

The investigations are directed against several people who belong to the clan milieu. The suspects are accused of offering illegal gambling in sisha bars and other publicly accessible establishments such as gambling venues. Specifically, illegal gaming machines are said to have been set up that did not have a seal of approval, meaning that no taxes were paid. A few weeks ago, we at GambleJoe reported on an NDR documentary about a multi-million euro fraud involving manipulated gaming machines.

The raid was carried out in the districts of Aurich, Wittmund, Leer, Emden and Friesland in the late evening of 9 November. A total of 400 officers were involved in the operation, with over 20 properties being searched. These included various catering establishments as well as the private homes of suspects.

Sisha bar closed, illegal gambling machines found

In the course of the raid, a hookah bar in Aurich was closed after significant fire safety violations were discovered. Elsewhere in Aurich, six illegal gaming machines were found in a bar. In the neighbouring town of Emden, investigators even came across seven illegal gaming machines and an illegal poker table in a sports bar.

In total, 30 illegal gaming machines were confiscated by the investigators during the major raid in East Frisia and Friesland. In addition, large sums of cash, a BMW 7 Series and other evidence were seized.

Narcotics, illegal employment and offences against the Residence Act

In addition to the illegal gaming machines, the 400 or so officers also had their hands full in other areas. A total of 18 labour law violations were discovered during the raid, some of which involved suspected illegal employment. In addition, the authorities initiated several criminal proceedings for illegal employment and the withholding of wages. Offences against the Residence Act and an offence against the Narcotics Act were also detected. However, according to our information, no one was arrested during the gambling raid in East Frisia. In the summer, we at GambleJoe reported on a much smaller operation in which an illegal casino operation was dismantled in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/leer-ostfriesland-altstadt-4340249/