Commercial Gambling Raids Executed In Bartow County; Six Arrests Made

CARTERSVILLE, GA — Six people have been arrests after raids were carried out Wednesday of five Cartersville area businesses allegedly turned up illegal gambling machines, authorities said. While the businesses targeted can let customers play what are called amusement machines, they cannot pay winners with cash, only with lottery tickets or store merchandise.

Instead, the gas stations and shops were reportedly paying out cash to gamblers, a violation of the state's commercial gambling laws, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Officials said multiple arrests are coming as a result of Wednesday's multiple raids, but no names have yet been released.

Agencies joining the GBI in the crackdown included the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force, the state Department of Revenue and the Georgia Lottery Corp. Officers executed five search warrants July 19 for alleged gambling violations.

The warrants were served at five businesses in White and Cartersville, and while the search was underway, agents collected evidence related to commercial gambling and also seized cash received from the "illegal use of gaming machines," the GBI said.

All five locations are currently licensed to operate coin operated amusement machines. However, investigators say customers received cash payouts for winning credits, the GBI said. In Georgia, credits may only be redeemed for lottery tickets and/or store merchandise.

Search warrants were executed at the following business locations:

• Sunoco, 2471 Highway 411 NE, White
• Kim’s Gift Shop, 906 Joe Frank Harris Parkway, Cartersville
• Sunoco a/k/a Red Top Food Mart, 300 Red Top Mountain Road, Cartersville
• Mack’s Express a/k/a Smart Mart, 1139 N. Tennessee St., Cartersville
• Gift Shop, 1141 N. Tennessee St., Cartersville

Six people were arrested and charged with felony commercial gambling in connection to the raid. They are: Xaing Yun Jin, 57, of Cartersville; Meilan Xu, 46, of Cartersville; Shahid Mushtaq, 44, of Cartersville; Luisa Tercero, 27, of Cartersville; Farhan Hameed, 45, of Ellijay; and Clara Mullinax, 48, of White.

A GBI spokesperson said Mushtaq and Hameed are store owners and the four others are employees at the locations.

In total, more than 40 officers launched the raids in a "simultaneous and coordinated fashion," the GBI notes. Additional arrests are pending in connection to the case.

Return to Patch for updates.

Image via Shutterstock