Police shut down illegal gambling den for second time this year

A San Diego Police cruiser. Photo by Chris Stone For the second time in six months, police Thursday raided and shut down an illicit gambling den operating out of an Azalea Park home. Officers, including a SWAT team, descended on the residence in the 2600 block of Fairmount Avenue early Thursday morning along with members of an FBI violent-crime task force, according to the San Diego Police Department. After serving a search warrant, the personnel arrested six suspects and seized 12 illegal gambling machines, two handguns, ammunition, narcotics and more than $1,000 in cash, Capt. Martha Sainz said. Two other occupants of the home were issued citations, and four more were interrogated and released. In February, police learned about unlawful gambling going on at the home while investigating a double shooting in the neighborhood, Sainz said. Officers shut down the operation, only to receive information within about a month that it was up and running again. “Illegal gambling dens often attract other criminal activity … including narcotics, prostitution, gang-related activity, noise and fighting, and people coming and going at all hours,” Sainz said. “SDPD continually works to investigate and address illegal gambling dens throughout the city of San Diego.”