Indonesia cracks down on illegal gambling, arrests 300+ suspects

• More than 300+ suspects arrested in a large-scale anti-money laundering and illegal gambling operation in Jakarta, Indonesia
• The criminal organization had established a clear structure with different roles
• Some of the suspects stayed with a visitor’s visa and may face extra charges for violating Indonesia’s immigration policies

Hundreds of people, suspected of being involved in a massive illegal online gambling operation in Jakarta, Indonesia, were detained.

The latest operation marks one of the largest raids against illegal online gambling in the country, local media outlets suggest.

321 foreigners detained, equipment seized

The suspects, arrested late last week, were found in a commercial building within close proximity to Jakarta's Chinatown region.

Notably, the massive illegal gambling ring was involved in the operation of nearly 100 online betting and casino websites.

In total, law enforcement detained 321 foreigners from nearby countries in the region, including 57 from China and 228 from Vietnam.

Suspects from Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar were also detained.

Besides the hundreds of suspects arrested, law enforcement uncovered and seized various equipment, including smartphones, computers, cash in different currencies, passports and other items used by the illegal gambling operation.

An investigation into the illegal gambling ring suspects it has been operating for a couple of months.

What's known so far is that in total, the massive criminal syndicate was operating 75 illegal online gambling websites, primarily targeting customers outside of Thailand.

Interestingly, the criminal group had established a structured operation where different members had different tasks, such as supporting the operation of the illegal websites, overseeing finance, customer service, and other roles.

Criminal groups from nearby countries often target Indonesia

Wira Satya Triputra, the Indonesian National Police's Director of General Crimes, who was interviewed by the Associated Press, spoke about the latest raids.

"We arrested the suspects in the act while they were carrying out activities related to online gambling," he revealed.

Currently, online gambling is illegal in Indonesia. This means that the suspects will be facing charges for their involvement in the illegal gambling operation, as well as charges related to money laundering.

Equally as important, some of the suspects entered the country with a visitor's visa but stayed while employed by the criminal organization, meaning that they will likely face immigration charges as well.

According to Triputra, 275 of the suspects arrested in relation to the illegal gambling ring remained in custody as of Saturday.

Untung Widyatmoko, Indonesia's Interpol Bureau's Secretary, acknowledged an increase in the number of foreigners arriving in Indonesia to engage in illegal gambling.

According to the expert, crackdowns in other countries, such as Cambodia, for example, have pushed some of those criminal groups to Indonesia.

Despite the ongoing efforts of law enforcement by countries from the region, criminal groups, often involved in illegal gambling, money-laundering, online fraud and scams, quickly set up their operations.

Image credit: Pixabay.com