West Point police make two arrests after illegal gambling bust
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – Two men in West Point lost big Monday night, but West Point police and the Mississippi Gaming Commission hit the jackpot.
A tip to police led officers and agents to raid an alleged illegal gambling operation in the city.
Detective Sergeant Marvin Hughes and the Mississippi Gaming Commission were contacted to investigate the case.
“Officers arrived on scene and they discovered that there were several illegal gambling machines located on the premises… The machines were seized and some were destroyed per state law as well as an unspecified amount of money was seized,” said Detective Hughes.
Since alleged illegal gambling was involved, the Mississippi Gaming Commission was brought in for its expertise in handling these cases.
“So this isn’t a typical arrest, not only for West Point but for many agencies just throughout Mississippi…because that’s the Mississippi Gaming Commission. That’s their particular realm,” said Hughes.
Police arrested Mekter Ahmed and Sidi Mabate.
The men are each charged with 14 counts of operating illegal gambling machines.
This arrest is just a small part of a wider investigation by the Gaming Commission.
“It’s part of a larger network, however, just due to this particular incident, these two individuals have been arrested and charged specifically for this because they were the ones present and they were the ones operating at this particular point in time,” said Hughes.
Bond was set at $6,000 for each suspect.
