updated 9:32 a.m. ET July 10, 2008

PARIS - Interpol says police across Asia arrested 1,300 people and seized more than $16 million in an operation to break up illegal football gambling networks.

The international police agency says law enforcement agencies in China — including Hong Kong and Macau — Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam took part in the operation.

Interpol said in a statement Thursday that the operation in May and June was timed to coincide with the European football championship. Interpol is based in Lyon, France.

The raids targeted more than 1,000 illegal gambling dens, some controlled by organized crime gangs, in several countries.

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