Casino Crime News Roundup: 30 Grams of Suspected Meth Found at Casino

Posted on: February 2, 2025, 12:12h. 

Last updated on: February 2, 2025, 12:12h.

A gambler at Indiana’s Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa was arrested recently after authorities found his bag on the gambling floor. It was filled with suspected methamphetamine (meth).

Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa
Indiana’s Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa, pictured above. Suspected meth was found in the casino. (Image: WNDU)

Malcolm Smith, II, 39, of Greencastle, Ind. was charged with various counts on Tuesday.

Smith was seen playing a slot machine. He was seated in a chair and had a black bag resting on his lap, authorities said.

When he left the chair, he placed the bag on the floor of the Michigan City gaming property, Indiana Gaming Commission Police revealed.

Someone alerted casino security guards about the unattended suspicious bag 45 minutes after the man walked away from the slot machine. When guards opened it, they spotted close to 30 grams of suspected drugs, according to Hometown News Now, a local news outlet. Authorities later said it was meth. Empty plastic bags also were in the black bag, authorities said.

Local police were alerted. They found Smith in the casino.

He was apprehended and booked. If convicted on a drug charge, he could face a prison sentence. His case was turned over to local prosecutors.

Police didn’t reveal a street value for the drugs.

The casino is located near Lake Michigan.

Close to $30K Seized in Gambling Raid

A recent search of an alleged illegal gambling joint led authorities to confiscate $29,851 in Ohio.

The Richland Source, a local news outlet, reported the raid took place in an illegal casino located in a Bucyrus, Ohio shopping center on Wednesday.

Local police and officials with the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) raided the operation. In addition to the cash, it appears items related to gambling also were seized, police said.

Before the raid, authorities had been given a search warrant by a local judge after they presented evidence of suspected illegal gambling.

The establishment was identified by the Source as Golden Genie Gaming. The business is located at 1655 Marion Road in Bucyrus. That’s part of the Southern Lights Shopping Center.

The search warrant was the culmination of an investigation conducted by OCCC and Bucyrus police detectives into an illegal casino,” Bucyrus Police Chief Neil Assenheimer said in a statement.

“No arrests were made, however cases against any involved individuals may be presented to the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges,” Assenheimer added.

The Bucyrus Fire Department also had personnel present during the raid.

Bucyrus is some 66 miles southeast of Toledo, Ohio.