Crime & Safety

Wauwatosa Woman Among 23 Arrested in Drug, Gambling Ring

Tosa police executed a federal warrant in arrest, took car, rings, computers and documents.

A Wauwatosa woman was among 23 people in the Milwaukee area and elsewhere arrested in a wide-ranging drug trafficking and gambling ring, according to federal court documents and a Wauwatosa police report.

Laura T. Phan, 40, of 3338 Knoll Terrace, was arrested May 24 by Wauwatosa police executing a warrant for illegal gambling from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She and evidence collected from her home were immediately turned over to the DEA.

No drug charges were filed against Phan, and no drugs were found at her home.

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Nine Wauwatosa police detectives and officers were sent to Phan's home before 6 a.m. and after a search, they took her into custody. As evidence, officers collected and delivered to the DEA computer equipment, $2,000 cash, a 1.35 carat diamond ring, two other rings, Phan's 2007 BMW, notebooks and other documents including deposit slips for at least five different bank accounts.

The arrests were announced Thursday at a media conference at 10 a.m. at the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee.

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In the multi-jurisdictional investigations, over 25 pounds of marijuana, $250,000 in jewelry and cars, $1.3 million in cash were seized. Those arrested were from Wauwatosa, Franklin, Oak Creek, Mequon, Milwaukee, Mount Pleasant, Racine, Germantown, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.

U.S. Attorney James L. Santelle announced that the defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances, operating an illegal gambling business and interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise.

A simple tip led to the year-long investigation, Santelle said, which culminated May 24 with more than 150 law enforcement officers from multiple state and local agencies executing 18 search warrants and arresting 23 people in Southeast Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

One person, Vinh V. Trinh, 44, from Los Angeles, is still at large.

The investigation discovered more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana was being sent by courier from Seattle and British Columbia to the Midwest, and that couriers were used to take gambling proceeds back to Seattle.

The defendants are accused of managing a sophisticated sports betting operation that generated tens of thousands of dollars each week. More than 35 people have been federally indicted in connection with the related investigations.

Officials have seized about $1.3 million, 25 pounds of marijuana, marijuana packaging materials, drug and gambling ledgers, two firearms, a bullet proof vest, jewelry worth more than $250,000 and vehicles worth more than $250,000.

This was a “much more high-tech” operation than what they’ve seen before, Santelle said, using phone calls and text messages to place and take bets on national and local sports teams.

Santelle called the operation “fairly sophisticated.” Couriers shuttled drugs from Seattle and British Columbia to the Midwest, he said, and the cash from gambling proceeds back the other way.

He deferred to Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Sanders to give specifics about the gambling enterprise. The details have not been included in any public documents at this point, but have been revealed to some extent in court, Santelle said.

Individuals in the gambling enterprise were divided into cells, Sanders said. People in Seattle texted odds out to other contacts, who would then forward them down the line. That process took about 10 minutes, he said.

Within 30 minutes, Sanders said, calls would go back up the chain with bets coming in from gamblers. Vu Nguyen, of Oak Creek, Sanders said, would then “communicate with (people in) Chicago and go over wins and losses.”

Santelle declined to share information about the people placing the
bets, but said the operation was bringing in tens of thousands of
dollars each week. The investigation, he said, is not closed.

“It could lead to future charge or investigative work,” he said. “The message should be clear to anyone out there, all these people are out there to identify, investigate and prosecute these cases.”'

Charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana are:

Hoa Q. Nguyen, 52, Mount Pleasant, WI
Vu Q. Nguyen, 28, Oak Creek, WI
Tu C. Ly, 25, Oak Creek, WI
Vinh V. Trinh, 44, Los Angeles, CA
An N. Nguyen, 34, Skokie, IL
Huy Han, 33, Skokie, IL
John Nguyen, 26, Chicago, IL
Hoang P. Nguyen, 32, Chicago, IL
Thanh K. Lai, 37, Chicago, IL
Phuc K. Tran, 34, Elk Grove Village, IL
Hien T. Tran, 32, Elk Grove Village, IL
Sam V. Hunyh, 34, Morton Grove, IL
Quan C. Hoac, 35, St. Cloud MN
Michael S. Harmon, 61, Seattle, WA
Sourideth Joe Chansomphou, 38, Milwaukee, WI
Tien D. Nguyen, 36, Milwaukee, WI
Reno A. Nguyen, 36, Franklin, WI

Charged with operating an illegal gambling business are:
Hoa Q. Nguyen, 52, Mount Pleasant, WI
Vu Q. Nguyen, 28, Oak Creek, WI
Tu C. Ly, 25, Oak Creek, WI
An. N Nguyen, 34, Skokie, IL
Huy Han, 33, Skokie, IL
Hoang P. Nguyen, 32, Chicago, IL
Thanh K. Lai, 37, Chicago, IL
Khanh N. Lam, 42, Franklin, WI
Laura T. Phan, 40, Wauwatosa, WI
Hoang Hoang, 49, Milwaukee, WI
Binh J. Nguyen, 38, Oak Creek, WI
Tony V. Tran, 43, Germantown, WI
Kevin S. Ho, 41, Mequon, WI

Charged with interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise are:
Jimmy D. Ho, Niles, IL
Quan C. Hoac, 35, St. Cloud, MN


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