Honolulu is the capital of the US state of Hawaii and seldom causes comment in the gaming industry world. There are no legal gambling establishments in Hawaii, although the subject does come up occasionally for discussion. The Honolulu Advertiser has reported that police in the city have raided a casino operation that had been running since 2003, albeit from different locations. The couple behind the scheme are alleged to have amassed over US$7 million in cash and property.

In 2005 the couple escaped when law enforcement officials seized money, including US$629,800 from a safe-deposit box, and a vehicle. This time they were not so lucky and their arrest followed a four-count indictment and a federal arrest warrant. Eleven people in all were indicted but four remain at large. The charges include running an illegal gaming business, conspiracy and money laundering. Gambling premises were set up in several places and at least three were fully-fledged casinos.

The nine people indicted along with the couple worked as dealers, cashiers and managers at the operations. The illegal casinos ran baccarat, blackjack and gaming machines, and had security guards and surveillance cameras. At least one person who evaded capture is believed to be in South Korea. The search warrant was executed by agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Honolulu Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service. (E-01.24.08)

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