California police "hit the jackpot" during raid on an underground casino

The police of the California city of San Jose raided an underground casino. Law enforcement officers found weapons and 136 kg of marijuana there. The organizers of the illegal gambling establishment turned out to be two San Jose residents – 45-year-old John Le 36-year-old Mike Le. The police charged them with running an underground casino, possession of weapons and selling marijuana worth about $600k. It later turned out that both defendants had been held in custody at the Santa Clara County jail a couple of weeks ago awaiting their court appearances.

During the search of the underground casino, the police identified locations of other similar establishments nearby, where they found 26 kg of marijuana, firearms and ammunition. In the suspects’ homes, officers also found marijuana and weapons they are prohibited from possessing.

Such underground establishments in the US are called “Slaphouse” (literally – “slap” and “house”), because visitors slap the buttons of the slot machines.