Toronto police say 14 people were charged after officers broke up an illegal gaming house in the city’s downtown core under the province’s current COVID-19 restrictions.
Police said officers responded to a call about a person with a gun at a home in the area of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West on Jan. 29, just after 8 p.m.
Officers arrived on scene, contained the area and proceeded to enter the basement of the home. Upon entry, officers found 14 people illegally gaming, police said. An undisclosed amount of cash was also recovered at the scene.
Ontario is currently under a stay-at-home order as the province grapples with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the order, officers charged the following players under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA), as well was the Criminal Code.
Under the stay-at-home order, only members of a household are allowed to be inside at any given time.
- Chung Tseung, 53, of Toronto.
- Yi-Mie Chen, 38, of Mississauga.
- Li Na Huang, 40, of Toronto.
- Lixian Chen, 30, of Markham.
- Bing Lin, 41, of Markham.
- A-chi Hoac, 62, of Oakville.
- Shunying, Chen, 42, of Toronto.
- Tra-My, Pham, 46, of Mississauga.
- Mong Ha, Liew, , 51 of Mississauga.
- Fung-Sin Wong, 56, of Markham.
- Yiyong, Liu, 44, of Whitby.
- Wenfeng, Cai, 48, of Toronto.
- Cuifang, Dong, 42, of Toronto.
- Yachao, Chen, 30, of Toronto.
All were charged with being found in a betting or gambling house and are scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on March 25.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.