B.C. anti-gang unit raids illegal casino on Vancouver Island

Officers with Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. descended on the Saanich address with a warrant to search the property under for an illegal-gaming investigation. (CTV News)

Fourteen people were arrested Thursday after investigators with British Columbia's anti-organized crime task force raided an alleged illegal gambling house on Vancouver Island.

Officers with Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. descended on the Saanich address with a warrant to search the property under for an illegal-gaming investigation.

"The house was found to have been essentially converted into a casino," Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, spokesperson for the CFSEU-BC, said in an emailed statement.

The Cook Street property, near the intersection with Quadra Street, was behind police tape with multiple police vehicles on scene into the evening.

All 14 suspects arrested at the property have since been released pending further investigation.

"At this time, as the investigation is ongoing, we have no additional information to share," Houghton said, adding the investigation is still in the "evidence-gathering stage."

The provincial anti-organized crime task force says illegal gambling provides a lucrative source of income and money laundering for organized crime groups in B.C.