State raids White Center café in sixth illegal gambling investigation there

SEATTLE — A cafe in White Center is the focus of another illegal gambling investigation.

Police raided Tam Thanh Café earlier this month, arresting a total of 11 people. That makes the sixth time the gambling commission has investigated that location.

Neighboring businesses like White Center Glass say police have been there enough for everyone to suspect illegal gambling happens, and they’re hoping this raid will be the last.

“There was no warning, there were police cars with their sirens on all over the street,” said Tami Hanna, who works at White Center Glass. She said police showed up with battering rams.

The police raid at Tam Thanh Café literally shook White Center Glass, causing employees to take cover.

“We can hear them busting through right on the other side of our wall too. We’ve got a whole bunch of glass and it’s bouncing on the walls,” Hanna said.

Photos from the Washington State Gambling Commission show what detectives were going after - gambling machines, cards, dice, gambling records, and cash.

The Commission said this raid is the result of a year-long investigation, and added that in fact, they’re very familiar with this café.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve been to this location. We started investigating this business in 2004, and we’ve opened six investigations total,” said Heather Songer, a spokesperson for the Washington State Gambling Commission.

Police arrested three employees and seven players.

“They were carrying them out to the paddy wagon and they were all zip tied and stuff,” Hanna said.

The café's owner was out of the country and has not been charged, so KIRO7 is not naming him at this time.

“We met him at the airport when he got back from his international flight and he got a ride straight to jail,” Songer said. “We’ve made it very clear to the business owner that this is not an activity they can continue to participate in, yet the activity continued on. So we had to step in and do something,” she said.

He has since been released, but KIRO7 cameras were there when the eleven others appeared one at a time in court.

People from the neighborhood say they’ve noticed the café.

“You just kind of ask yourself how do they really stay open like that? Because you don’t see much business going on inside there,” said Gerald Smiley, who grew up in the neighborhood.

And White Center Glass says with all the police investigations, including another major raid in 2011, they wonder if this latest investigation will actually shut the place down.

“I’m glad to see they’re keeping an eye on it and I hope something can be done,” Hanna said.

On Thursday, the café was still open.

An employee inside said he was just there working and would pass on a request for a comment on the situation to a manager.

The state said while detectives are working on building the case and before anyone is convicted for any crimes that might be tied with the café – it is in limbo and can remain open.

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