Cop infiltrates casino VIP lounge

Yixin Gan was one of a dozen frequent gamblers arrested in Taskforce Ghost, an undercover investigation that started in the VIP lounge of SkyCity casino and led police to dismantle a sprawling drug supply and distribution network.

Although there was no evidence of drug deals taking place inside the casino, a financial analysis by police focused on a number of VIPs and the flow of millions linked to drug transactions through the casino, according to the affidavit of Detective Inspector Bruce Good.

“SkyCity casino and particularly the VIP facilities are a recognised money-laundering risk and an environment within which numerous drug distribution groups work, both alone, and alongside one another,” Good said.

A spokesman for SkyCity declined to comment on Gan, but in a previous statement about Taskforce Ghost said SkyCity was “extremely comfortable” the casino had met obligations under anti-money laundering laws.

The spokesman said the casino could not comment on individuals targeted for privacy reasons and because of strict disclosure rules in anti-money laundering legislation.

But he confirmed “a number of those people did come to our attention on several occasions”.

“We were cooperative with the police from the start of this investigation. We are extremely confident that we took all appropriate actions and also that we took proactive steps from a host responsibility perspective.”

These steps, some of which predated Ghost, included staff interventions, interviews, monitoring and, in several cases, banning people from the casino. Staff were also instructed to report suspicious transactions to police.