$26 million gaming racket in Old Harbour

Between August 1, 2021 and March 5, 2022 a total of 52 gambling machines, popularly refer to as ‘poker box’, were illegally removed by burglars from numerous business establishments.

DSP Mark Harris, commander in charge of the police sub-division of Old Harbour, made the revelation at a town hall meeting at the Old Harbour Court House on Sunday.

The crooks, said the top cop for Old Harbour, carried out their despicable acts primarily between the hours of 12:30 am and 4:30 am between Sundays and Thursdays, based on data investigators have collated so far.

One gaming box is estimated to cost $500,000 and the emerging racket is seen by the police as a thriving enterprise for the criminal underworld.

Bars with inadequate security systems are targeted, said the deputy superintendent of police, who urged bar operators and owners of gaming machines to find more effective strategies protect their items and to stymie the burgeoning criminal ring.

“Now that amount of money amounts to large scamming,” DSP Harris said. “We the police, we try our very best to stop this.”

One man, who is part of the ring, remains in the custody of the police at the Old Harbour station after he and his cronies broke into a bar in Old Harbour Glades and stole gaming machines, which were recovered in Manchester.  In another reported break-in police seized a mobile welding plant abandoned by criminals after cops were alerted to an establishment in the tiny commune of Grove.

“It’s difficult to nab these persons as they have ‘look out’,” said DSP Harris.

The man in custody is 26-year-old Dondre Blake of a Kingston address, which support the theory of investigators that the illicit ring is not confined to players operating from within the Old Harbour space alone.

• Kingston man held in Manchester after burglary in Old Harbour

The $26 million quoted did not include losses in ‘top shelf’ liquor and other items that are almost always stolen along with the gaming machines. On current trend more establishments are likely to be burglarized, DSP Harris warned. In January, 20 poker boxes were reportedly stolen, he said, while 13 were filched within the first five days of this month.

While the officers under his leadership are up to the task, DSP Harris admitted it’s an uphill battle. Investigators are of the opinion that there is a syndicate of players working together.

And to make matters even more difficult, criminals will likely receive a slap on the wrist for these types of crimes, given the variables at play in such matters from a legal perspective.  When found with such stolen items these hoodlums at best are charged with unlawful possession or receiving stolen property. This is due to the fact that the boxes are oftentimes scrapped and transported before being resold to unsuspecting buyers as parts in some instances. 

“A manufacturer is saying the motherboard [in the gaming boxes] don’t come with serial numbers,” DSP Harris disclosed. Parts are mass produced in China and resold on the global market and will require dialogue at a higher level to disrupt the racket.

“It is hard to convict a person when the owner can’t identify this to say ‘this is mine’,” Harris stressed during the meeting involving primarily party promoters, bar owners and other micro business operators.

“However, putting a simple mark on it without having a serial number can assist us,” he added.

Like what exist in motor vehicles, the installation of tracking devices has been suggested by the police, which will aid in the swift location of the items. The police are also urging bar owners to install high quality cameras, particularly those with motion sensors that will deter criminals from targeting their premises.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the imposition of nightly curfews by the government, bars, small shops have become prime targets for criminals. But with government gradually relaxing some of the rules, as the world seems to be getting back to normal, criminals will have less time to effect a break-in.

One businessman who gave his name as Mr White was ultra-cautious during the pandemic. He said in addition to having cameras on his premises, he employed a security guard as well. “This is my investment… so we need to put systems in place for our own selves,” he said.