Number’s up for infamous den

Major city casino busted - Air-ground raid nets 353 gamblers, B56m - Bangkok Post, June 23, 2005
The notorious Taopoon underground casino, bustling under the nose of police for 20 years, was raided early yesterday in an air-ground combined sting operation which netted 353 gamblers and 56 million baht in betting money...
Taopoon police superintendent Chuangsakda Buranasiri was transferred to an inactive post at the Metropolitan Police Bureau for 30 days pending a disciplinary inquiry. He was accused of negligence of duty by allowing the casino to stay in business.
Taopoon police station had searched the casino 15 times in the past but managed to make only one swoop, when 20 gamblers were apprehended.
Prime Minister Thaskin Shinawatra said the police did not crack down on any special order. It was part of a broad policy to suppress underground influence.

Number's up for infamous den - The Nation, June 23, 2005
... Local police and some of the arresting officers had not been informed of the operation, code-named "The Cat," for fear that one of them may have alerted the casino operators, a police source said.
Many of the policemen who took part in the raid had been told they were joining an unspecified operation in Phetchaburi province.
"They didn't know beforehand that they would be hitting the Taopoon casino," the source said.
The gambling den, covering nine shophouses and surrounded by rows of houses in Bang Sue district, provided gamblers with more than 30 full service tables for roulette, baccarat and craps, as well as standard casino card games and slot machines.
It was the second major police effort to raid the casino after an unsuccessful attempt a few years ago, not to mention several smaller unsuccessful raids. The den had long been operating under the protection of its influential owner, a prominent politician. ...