Ten years ago, the FBI made a mistake and raided Cine El Rey during an event
Approximately 10 years ago, April 7, the FBI pulled a major mistake by raiding downtown McAllen’s famed Cine El Rey, which is still open for business, hosting such high-class acts as “The Circle Jerks” April 19. What follows is an opinion piece published May 1, 2013. Where has the last decade gone in such quick fashion?
Who’s in charge of the local FBI office, and what is he or she thinking?
Last month, April 7, armed FBI agents, and some state and local cops they dragged into the mix, raided the downtown historic McAllen theatre, the Cine El Rey.
But first, they cordoned off 17th street, warning people to leave the area.
Then, with automatic weapons drawn (the “automatic” claim needs fact-checking), they raided the theatre, ordering everyone to leave, scaring everyone in the process.
Thankfully, no innocent theatre attendee died from a heart attack or stroke. Thankfully, too, there were no automatic bullets sprayed.
Get this, though – why exactly did the FBI raid the downtown theatre?
Because apparently an informant had tipped them off that a feared Gulf Drug Cartel leader occasionally wrestled under the stage name, Imagen, and he was on the wrestling card that night.
Seriously? You’re joking. No, seriously, that’s apparently the story. But why would a Mexican drug cartel leader wrestle? Hasn’t he got more important things to do? Killing drug rivals, for example, overseeing a new cocaine shipment headed north, that sort of thing.
Can you picture him telling his gunmen down in Reynosa, “Hey, I’ll be out of pocket tonight.”
“Where you goin’, jefe?” “Over to McAllen to wrestle at the Cine El Rey.” “Sure thing.” Of course, in the Mexican wrestling style Lucha Libre, where almost all of wrestlers wear some sort of colorful mask, you could indeed hide your identity. But please, a feared, wanted Gulf Cartel leader isn’t going to go and wrestle at the Cine El Rey. Even on a boring night. If he ever did wrestle, it was long ago and far away, back before he ever got into the drug business. Of that, you can be sure.
So, who fed the FBI this fictitious info? Howdy Doody, who knows. Next time, might I suggest to the FBI, instead of dressing up to play in a John Wayne movie, or Rambo, take your pick, wait until the theatre is empty and your suspect has driven away from a crowd, and then execute an arrest warrant.
You know, on the side of the road, where sprayed bullets will at least have a better chance of missing innocent people.
If he’s going to try and cross the international bridge, arrest him while he is driving in that direction.
Another thing — who’s going to reimburse the people who paid good money to see the wrestling at Cine El Rey? The feds burst in, ordered them to leave, and that’s it?
Not to mention, how much did that raid cost downtown businesses, after downtown business patrons were ordered to leave the vicinity?
After a big scare like that, how many 17th street patrons have been scared away for good?
To make matters worse, an FBI spokeswoman, Erik Vasys, first tried to blame ICE for the raid, and then the McAllen Police Department. Turns out, neither was true. It was the FBI that initiated the raid.
So much for truth-telling. The wrestling company that hosted the Cine El Rey event issued a written statement condemning the FBI’s actions, questioning how anyone would feel if their loved one were placed in the line of fire to apprehend an individual who wasn’t even there.
To follow all of this up, last week, the FBI, again, with automatic weapons drawn, went on another Rambo-like tear.
At the Instituto Bilingue San Juan school in Mission last Thursday, FBI agents jumped from their vehicles with automatic guns (may have been semi-autos) drawn to arrest a wanted drug fugitive out of Miami who was at the pre-school to drop off his daughter.
Needless to say, teachers and parents say they were scared.
Does this make any sense? What’s to say the drug fugitive wasn’t armed and dangerous? You know, the sort who’s vowed never to be taken alive? And he pulls out an automatic weapon and starts blasting away? In a school parking lot filled with innocent bystanders? Little kids?
No, the local FBI office needs a new chief. Someone who can help quell this Rambo-like mindset that’s obviously pervasive in the McAllen office.
Reminds me of the FBI’s failure leading up to 9-11.
Several flight instructors phoned several FBI field offices in the summer of 2001 to say that some weird-acting Arabs were asking them for flying lessons. But only how to fly a plane straight and level. No need for lessons on how to land it or take off.
What did the FBI do with the info?
Nothing that led to any consequence.
They were too busy, apparently, down in the Valley, investigating public officials for wrongdoing, planning their next raid.