Criminals earning $450,000 weekly from stolen poker boxes

The Clarendon police have seized 75 stolen poker boxes they believe could be bringing in at least $450,000 weekly for criminals.

The seizures were made in collaboration with the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission during recent intensified operations.

According to the head of criminal investigations for the Clarendon Division, Deputy Superintendent Jermaine Anglin, investigations suggest that one of these boxes is valued at an average of $350,000.

When stolen, one is reportedly sold for $60,000 to the criminal underworld.

Anglin further stated that each box earns an average of $6,000 daily, adding that by his calculation, the 75 boxes seized could generate at least $450,000 daily to fund criminal activities.

In one of the operations, 39 game boxes were found at an establishment located at Cemetery Road in Denbigh.

Sixty-year-old businessman Daverton Francis was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of property.

The police say they have ramped up operations in the division, targeting the illicit use and operation of poker game boxes.

They note that the theft of these game boxes has increased in recent times across Clarendon and the neighbouring parishes of Manchester and St Elizabeth.

With this in mind, Anglin said he and his team are resolute to remove the profit from crime and bring perpetrators to justice.

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