An underground gambling den, offering poker, roulette, betting, massages and catering, was dismantled this week in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, a bohemian district of the capital.
Six people were indicted in this case by a judge in Nanterre and only one was imprisoned.
It would be, according to the head of the Office of races and games, Stéphane Piallat, the organizer of the establishment.
Read also: Dismantling of a luxury clandestine gambling den in Paris
Aged in his forties, the man known for drug trafficking, “
a major thug
”, led, according to Commissioner Piallat, a “
comfortable
”
life,
increasing the number of trips back and forth to Mexico and using “
cars
”.
luxury
”. The gambling den was located on the ground floor of an old restaurant, in an opulent street in the 11th arrondissement.
When they arrived at the premises on Sunday evening, the police, who had been investigating for several months, came across 28 people. Some were in one room, waiting their turn to play, the others were in another room with a poker table and a roulette wheel. “
That night was poker. There was veal
chop
and gratin dauphinois on the menu, prepared by a real cook,
”says Stéphane Piallat. "
Some evenings, lobster was served
."
The poker chips were customized, with "
a golden revolver
" and an "
inscription: nardimanouk Reda
" (an insult against a man named Reda). Sports betting was also organized, with invitations via social networks. "
The room was comfortable, in a luxury building
", continues the commissioner. The staff was numerous: a professional croupier, hostesses, a cashier ... The investigators seized more than 120,000 euros. The entrance fee fluctuated between 200 and 300 euros and the money was regularly sent elsewhere throughout the evenings in order to limit the sums in the cash register. Investigations are continuing, with investigators seeking to know if other criminals are not implicated.
Since the beginning of the year, it is the second illegal gambling den dismantled in the capital. The previous one, of great luxury, was located in a building on the prestigious avenue Foch, a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe.
