Five internet cafes went down in Marion County FL

MARION COUNTY, Fla. The Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team executed search warrants after an investigation revealed illegal activity going on inside of five different internet cafes in Marion County.

Meghan Shay who’s the spokesman for the force said, “UDEST is specifically targeting internet cafes that are engaging in illegal gambling activity, which means they have games of chance that they’re carrying out, not games of skills.”

Agents had their eyes set on five locations within the county over the past few months. And on Wednesday they seized more than 64-thousand dollars, 25 fish tables, 42 standalone stations, 159 computers and 14 TVs.

They also arrested 49-year-old Michael Fluker for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shay said, “This has been a long term operation for all of the agents involved and they did have support from a great team of detectives from both the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department to assist them in carrying this out.”

Last year, UDEST agents shut down all the internet cafes in Ocala, as part of a commitment put forth by Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham to crack down on these activities.