Indonesia: police take down illegal gambling syndicate

• A criminal syndicate in Indonesia used shell companies to launder money from illegal gambling
• Five individuals are facing charges for their suspected involvement after an undercover operation and raids by law enforcement
• Police seized $3.5m in cash

Several suspects are facing serious charges for money laundering under Indonesian law after allegedly using more than a dozen companies to launder proceeds from illegal gambling.

During a series of police operations, police arrested a total of five suspects and seized more than $3m in cash.

Charged with money-laundering crimes, suspects may receive tough penalties

As announced in a report from the local news outlet, Jakarta Globe, police detained a total of five suspects between the ages of 29 and 45.

Law enforcement suspects that each of the individuals played a different role in the illegal gambling operation.

The suspects are facing charges for crimes under the country's anti-money laundering laws.

If found guilty and sentenced, they may face tough penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

The latest operation complements Indonesia's ongoing crackdown on illegal gambling with a series of operations completed throughout last month.

Ahead of the latest police operation, law enforcement conducted an investigation and engaged in undercover actions.

Police deposited money with the illicit gambling ring and were later able to track those funds.

Allegedly, the criminal syndicate used at least 17 shell companies to transfer and launder gambling proceeds.

According to Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji, the National Police's director of cybercrime, who spoke during a press conference earlier this week, 15 of the shell companies were used for bank transfers.

The remaining two companies were used by the group as repositories.

In total, law enforcement seized Rp 59bn, or approximately $3.5m in cash and arrested the five suspects.

Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji outlined that the group operated gambling websites, offering different activities, including casino games, slots, as well as sports betting, among others.

Law enforcement did not confirm how long the gambling syndicate operated and whether or not there are other suspects.

Early last month, in the fight against illegal gambling, Indonesia enforced blocks against nearly two dozen gambling websites.

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