SAGINAW COUNTY -- A series of raids Wednesday in Saginaw County raked in several dozens of weapons and so much cash, investigators were still counting it Thursday.
Saginaw Police Chief Gerald Cliff is calling it one of the largest law enforcement operations in nearly 20 years. It took three weeks of planning and nearly 200 law enforcement officers from agencies around Mid Michigan to pull off the raids in Kochville Township, Saginaw Township, Buena Vista Township, Bridgport and Saginaw.
Investigators say they were tipped off about the underground gambling ring by an informant in April. After 6 months of surveillance, the raids were carried out by 11 teams consisting of officers from the Saginaw County Sheriff's Department, the Midland County Sheriff Department, Midland SWAT Team, Saginaw Township Police Department, Bay City Police, FBI, DEA, ATF and the Saginaw Police Department.
"With as much as we got probably twice as much got away but the key to getting what we got was doing this as simultaneously as possible," said Chief Cliff.
Twenty-four suspects were arrested, 36 cars and 36 weapons were seized and more than $100,000 cash was seized and an undisclosed amount of cocaine and marijuana was also confiscated.
Chief Cliff says this bust will cut down on a lot of the crime in the area.
"It only looks inoffensive or like a nuisance crime but when you follow it up, gambling can cause a lot of serious problems in a community."
