Criminal charges have been approved against two men accused of running an illegal gambling operation out of a Burnaby café.
Vancouver resident Francisco Batista Pires, 62, and Burnaby resident Angelo Giuseppe Freda, 60, were charged Monday with one count of keeping a gaming or betting house, according to the Vancouver provincial court registry.
The charges stem from an investigation launched by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit's Joint Illegal Gaming Investigation Team in early 2022, according to a CFSEU news release.
The team got information that illegal gaming was taking place at Big Shots Café at 3980 Hastings St. in North Burnaby, the release said.
As part of the investigation, police raided the restaurant in July 2023, arresting 10 people and seizing four slot machines (two with money inside), poker chips, ledgers, a gaming table, cards and other gaming paraphernalia, $14,000 cash, DVR and multiple cellphones, according to the release.
"An illegal gaming house can fuel a cycle of crime that harms individuals, destabilizes communities, and strengthens organized crime networks by providing them with both a financial base and a pool of vulnerable individuals to exploit," CFSEU media spokesperson Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha said in the release.
Pires and Freda are scheduled to appear in court on April 7.
This isn't the first time Big Shots Café has been investigated for illegal gaming.
In 2020, four men were charged in connection with an illegal gaming operation allegedly operating out of the same location.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
