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Three arrested for chemicals used in gambling scam

Friday, Aug. 9, 2002 | 10:58 a.m.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thai police have arrested three people suspected of using a radioactive chemical to coat cards and dice designed to help gamblers cheat.

Police seized the goods in a Bangkok raid at the request of the FBI, which intercepted parcels of the items sent to the United States, police Maj. Surasit Sangaphong told the Associated Press.

Surasit did not say how many sets of the cards and dice were found or the amount of the chemical confiscated.

The radioactive strontium was painted onto dice and cards, where it could be detected by an electronic sensor held by a gambler, officials said.

The suspects face charges of possession of radioactive materials without a license, which carries a penalty of one year in jail or a $235 fine.

Suwat Bunnag, an official from Thailand's Office of Atomic Energy for Peace, said the raided house had been declared a "danger zone" until the hazardous chemicals were removed.

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