Crime & Safety

Gwinnett Police Bust Up High-Dollar Poker Tournament in Norcross

Police arrest 12 men in connection with illegal tournament with $10,000 on the line.

Gwinnett Police interrupted an illegal poker tournament that had been going on for seven days at a Norcross restaurant early Wednesday morning, resulting in the arrests of 12 men.

According to Gwinnett Police spokesman Cpl. Ed Ritter, police arrested and charged Mohammed Abbasi, 52, of Lilburn with keeping a gambling place and selling alcohol without a license. According to the police report, Abbasi is the owner ofΒ , located at 4771 Britt Road in Norcross, where the tournament was being played in a side room.

Additionally, police charged Sarfaraz Ahmed, 48, also of Lilburn, who identified himself as the manager, with keeping a gambling place.

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According to the police report, the 10 other men were arrested and charged with gambling. They were playing in a poker tournament that had a $1,000 buy-in; police found a black bag locked in a tool chest that contained $10,000.

Police entered the restaurant about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday because there were a large number of vehicles in the parking lot after hours. The business had a lit β€œopen” neon sign at the front door.

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After entering the restaurant, police saw that four people were eating at a table, not in line with the number of cars parked outside. Ahmed, the manager, told police that more customers were in a side room watching a cricket game.

When police entered the room, they found people playing cards at two tables and ledgers showing money and names, later determined to be the men playing in the illegal tournament. The report said some of the men were seen attempting to hide poker chips. Police were told that the men were playing to win an iPad, but no iPad was at the location.

Abbasi, the owner, arrived and gave police permission to search the building. In the locked tool chest, police found the money and more ledgers, along with playing cards and poker chips. Alcohol also was found.

One of the poker-playing men, Mohammed Rais, 54, of Sugar Land, Texas, asked to speak to police privately, according to the report, and told police that the tournament had been going on for seven days and was in the semifinals. Rais told police that betting was being done by the 10 men seated at one of the tables; men at a second table were playing for fun. The men at the second table were released.

After matching names to the ledger, police arrested Rais; Muhammad Saleem, 44, LaGrange; Emran Waliany, 31, Franklin, N.C.; Emran Dossani, 42, Suwanee; Vijay Patel, 35, Brewton, Ala.; Inayat Dossani, 45, Lawrenceville; Salman Vasaya, 26, Decatur; Samir Kamal, 38, Lawrenceville; Khaliq Khan, 55, Alpharetta; and Jason Merritt, 28, Newnan. They were all charged with gambling.

According to jail records, all 12 men were released on bond.


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