Illegal 8-Liner Operators Using Other Ways to Hide Business
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PALMHURST – More charges could come after a raid at a home on the 4400 block of North Stewart Road in Palmhurst Wednesday night.
Inside the home, on the nearly 17-acre property, was an illegal gambling operation. Dozens of machines and money were taken from inside.
Palmhurst police and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the home and uncovered the operation. They said the establishment being inside the home shows illegal gambling operators are going to new lengths to make sure their business stays concealed.
Leroy Martinez has lived across the street from the home for the past decade.
“I never would have suspected there was illegal gambling going on,” he said.
Martinez said the neighborhood is quiet, but he has noticed a few changes.
“We would just see random cars at different hours and stuff,” he said.
Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Spokesperson J.P. Rodriguez said the majority of the locations where they conduct investigations are in commercial buildings.
Inside the home they found 55 eight-liner machines, 70 motherboards to operate the machines, nearly $3,000 in cash and two guns.
“There’s signs everywhere that indicate cash payouts,” Rodriguez said.
There were 18 people inside at the time of the bust; three men were arrested. Rodriguez said the rest of the people were customers.
After the investigators made the bust, a “For Sale” sign is posted on the property. The number listed was disconnected. It isn’t known who owns the property.
“We’re going to look at also who is the property owner of the house and how did the persons managing the establishment come into usage of that home or possessions of that home,” Rodriguez said.
Authorities will continue their investigation and track down the owner of the property to find out how the men arrested are connected to them.
“These individuals that are managing these locations are going to great lengths to convert,” Rodriguez said.
Playing or operating an eight-liner is not illegal, but it is illegal to have cash payouts.
Rodriguez said there were multiple safety violations in the home. Machines were blocking exits and a high number of the machine wires were also exposed presenting a fire risk.
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