NEWTON COUNTY, Texas — Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to execute one of the largest gambling and money laundering investigations ever conducted in East Texas.
This investigation began in February 2022 when Constable Howie Wonders with the Newton County Pct. 4 Constable's Office agreed to officially enter into a combined effort with the Sabine County Sheriff's Office.
By joining the efforts, Wonders would provide an undercover officer from his agency to assist in the investigation, according to a news release from the Newton County Pct. 4 Constable's Office.
The investigation grew to become a joint endeavor by the Newton County Pct. 4 Constable's Office along with the Sabine, San Augustine and Shelby County Sheriff's Offices.
These law enforcement agencies combined to form the 273rd Judicial Organized Crime Task Force, according to the release.
After 15 months of undercover investigations, the 273 JOTCF successfully executed 37 search warrants across 8 Texas counties by Friday, May 19, 2023.
These search warrants spanned from Tenaha in Shelby County, Texas all the way down to Bacliff in Galveston County, Texas.
Criminal charges originated from illegal gambling operations that were laundering millions of dollars locally as well as internationally, according to the release.
This is an ongoing investigation with criminal charges as well as civil forfeitures pending for various violations.
These charges include but aren't limited to, money laundering, engaging in organized criminal activity, illegal gambling, keeping a gambling place, promotion of gambling, possession of gambling devices and numerous narcotics violations.
Constable Wonders would like to sincerely thank all local and state law enforcement agencies that assisted with this operation.
"We could not have done this without them," he said in the release.
This was a joint investigation with Newton County Pct. 4 Constable's Office, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Jasper and Galveston County Sheriff's Offices, as well as Texas DPS Criminal Investigations Division and the Texas Comptrollers Criminal Investigations Division.
