Another ‘Internet cafe’ busted

The Gilroy Bizzness Center opened its doors as an ‘Internet café’ Oct. 18 and was promptly shut down seven days later when the Gilroy Police Department raided the store for “illegal gambling.”
A caravan of police vehicles swarmed 7598 Monterey St. in downtown Gilroy around 3 p.m. Wednesday before GPD executed a search warrant and recovered 30 computers police say were used for gambling. Police also arrested patron Nelson Garcia, 38, on charges of illegal gambling, according to GPD Sgt. Joseph Deras. The Bizzness Center was located between an apartment complex and a hair salon.
“As long as the state determines that these operations are unlawful, the City of Gilroy is not going to permit these in our community,” Deras added, explaining that unregulated businesses of this type can potentially garner between $8,000 and $10,000 a day. “They’re able to skirt the taxpaying process because there’s no way for anybody to monitor what the income is. The computers themselves can be manipulated because there’s no regulatory body that oversees their operation. And they seem to attract an undesirable element.”
During the raid, Deras said police found convicted felons and a sex offender among some of the customers.
Wednesday was the third time since August that officers raided an alleged illegal gambling operation masquerading as an Internet café’. The first two incidents took place Aug. 1 and Aug. 22 at Liberty PCS at 1325 First St. in Hecker Pass Plaza.
Deras says they’ve noticed the same type of nefarious clientele each time.
“That does not bode well for the residents in the area,” he said. “I think if they knew the element that was being attracted in here, they would not be overly excited.”
Deras voiced a verbal warning that “similar businesses entertaining the idea of coming to Gilroy will get the same response.”
Colette Marie McLaughlin, a Gilroy resident and Gavilan College instructor who lives next door to the Gilroy Bizzness Center, said the police raid took her by surprise.
“Well there goes one more business,” she observed, adding that the Bizzness Center was empty most of the time and that the customers “looked nice” and were “very respectful.”
Laura, a cashier at the Bizzness Center who declined to give her last name, was originally detained and questioned by GPD before she was released.
“I was working and they came in, guns drawn and everything,” she said. “I don’t think that it’s an illegal gambling operation at all. I wouldn’t work here. I honestly didn’t know why [the GPD] were here.”
One customer said he picked a bad first day to come check out the business.
“This was my first time coming here,” said Raul Flores, who was questioned by police and released without incident. “I was just here because my friend told me something was going on over here. I just came by and this happened. Wrong place at the wrong time, I guess.”
When asked if he knew what type of business occurred at the Bizzness Center, Flores said “you go online and I guess you gamble.”
Deras said he wasn’t expecting another Internet café’ to open up in Gilroy, especially after the raid and closure of Liberty PCS made news headlines.
“I didn’t think that another one would open up here, so I was surprised another one would try to open up after so much publicity,” he said.