Federal authorities raided the Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing investigation.

Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles, said in a statement authorities could not comment on “the scope or nature of the investigation.”

The raid was executed at the casino, 888 Bicycle Casino Drive, by members of the Los Angeles High Intensity Financial Crime Area Task Force, a group that includes ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations; IRS Criminal Investigation; the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control; and the U.S. Attorney's office, she said.

The Bicycle Casino has had a long and colorful history in Bell Gardens. The federal government took over part ownership of the casino in 1991 after a jury found that $12 million of the $22 million used in its construction came from Florida drug smugglers.

Five years later, the federal government sold its share of the casino to a large British gambling company. The casino is now privately owned by the Bicycle Hotel & Casino LLC.

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