In a surprisingly video-game adjacent bit of local news, the ABC has reported on a recent event in WA (cheers David for bringing this to my attention) where police have found a large sum of cash along with a handgun and ammunition stashed inside an arcade machine – specifically a Daytona USA Twin cabinet circa 1994 that’s worth north of $10k on its own.
The find came after cops discovered a smaller amount of cash and a weapon inside the driver’s side door of a black Chevrolet Silverado they’d stopped on Perth’s Tonkin Highway, which led them to conduct further searches on a commercial and residential property in the northern suburb of Landsdale. It was here that a number of arcade cabinets were found, including the offending SEGA machine containing more than $400,000 in cash among the other seized goods, allegedly belonging to the Rebels bikie gang.
The cash and handgun were reportedly found tucked away behind one of the machine’s panels, pictured below. There were also other weapons and illicit gear found on the property, but the rest isn’t nearly as exciting as the possibility of the games at your local Timezone hiding secret bikie money (please don’t go looking for secret bikie money).
Photos: WA Police
Daytona USA is a classic arcade racing game first released by SEGA in 1994 to incredibly popularity, and machines can still be found anywhere from family-oriented arcades to dive bars. It was directed and produced by none other than Toshihiro Nagoshi, who would later create the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, which is an incredible detail in this context. The game was followed up by many arcade and home video game sequels, none of which are believed to contain bikie cash.
“Whether the firearms are used to commit offences, or used to cause fear to victims who may be targeted, the risk of a person being seriously injured or killed in a confrontation increases when a firearm is present,” WA Police Commander of State Crime Gordon Fairman
“We have seen the reckless disregard for community safety shown by outlaw motorcycle gang members, so we know the removal of these firearms from the hands of gang members has made our community safer.
“We will continue to protect our community and the Western Australian way of life by relentlessly targeting members of outlaw motorcycle gangs that use intimidation and violence to commit crime.”
