Pictured left to right: Mevin Rodrigues; seized slot machines; Dylan Cardoso.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), in collaboration with the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC), has arrested two men on charges related to illegal gambling. Mevin Rodrigues, 28, and Dylan Cardoso, 30, were taken into custody on September 2 at the Magic Arcade, located at 5624 Swift Road, Sarasota.
The arrests followed a months-long investigation into several illegal gambling operations in Sarasota County. Detectives secured a search warrant for the Magic Arcade and arrest warrants for Rodrigues and Cardoso. Both individuals face charges of possession of slot machines and keeping/maintaining a gambling house. FGCC agents seized 117 slot machines and currency during the operation.
Furthermore, authorities discovered that Rodrigues and Cardoso were in the United States illegally with revoked visas. They are currently detained at the Sarasota County Correctional Facility. SCSO is collaborating with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for illegal immigration enforcement.
This operation was made possible through strategic partnerships with FGCC and HSI, as well as the internal teamwork of SCSO's Intelligence and Tactical Units, Special Investigations Section, Criminal Investigations Section, Patrol, and Crime Scene Unit. The investigation remains ongoing.
“We continue to partner with the Florida Gaming Control Commission with the goal of ridding our community of these gambling businesses. Our citizens’ complaints have been heard, and we are successfully shutting them down,” commented Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman. “Not only were these arrestees breaking our state gambling laws, but they have also broken our immigration laws, and through our partnership with ICE, they will be held accountable.”![]()