Eight-liner operations raided in McAllen area

Authorities raided eight-liner operations Friday in eight separate bars, restaurants and American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars halls throughout Hidalgo County.

Tim Potter, of McAllen, was charged with possession of gambling paraphernalia and promotion of gambling, said Charlie Vela, the lead investigator for the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office. Vela said the investigation was ongoing and that authorities suspect more people were involved.

In the state of Texas, it is legal to own eight-liner machines — which resemble slot machines — but it is illegal to pay out prizes in cash or in items over $5 in value, said Dora Muñoz, commander of the Hidalgo County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which assisted in the two-week investigation.