Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigators allege two Mission residents and a McAllen man operated an eight-liner establishment where people received “silver pebbles” which were later exchanged for cash.
The allegation is levied in the probable cause affidavits for the Aug. 13 arrests for 28-year-old Jose Guadalupe Cardona of Mission, 26-year-old Adriana Aburto of Mission, and 42-year-old McAllen resident Julian Gonzalez Rodriguez.
The trio is charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place and possession of gambling device/equipment/paraphernalia. All three received a total of $11,000 in bonds and have since been released from jail, records show.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation began in July after deputies received information about the alleged eight-liner establishment at 2218 W. Mile 5 Road in Mission.
“Investigators conducted operations at the suspected location in which multiple case (U.S. currency) payouts were obtained in excess of $5.00 dollars,” a probable cause affidavit states.
On Aug. 13, deputies executed a search warrant and reported finding 38 eight-liner machines and an unknown amount of cash, according to the charging document.
Investigators allege Cardona was the manager, Rodriguez was a gate guard and Aburto was the floor attendant, according to the affidavit.
