Who protects the maquinita mafia in Hialeah? Guess

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Is Hialeah it’s own sovereign nation?

Pero, por supuesto!

Or at least that is what one would surmise by the way Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez acts with impunity, harassing citizens and using the police force as his own private security squad.

Most recently, the city has been thumbing its nose at the state since the new law was enacted in April that outlawed the cafeteria gambling kiosks known as maquinitas by having their own interpretation — yet again — of what that law means.

Despite the fact that these very machines were rounded up in the city of Miami and most every place else after the legislature closed the loopholes that made sure these games of chance were classified as games of chance, Hialeah is letting them run rampant.

“We have changed our stance,” Hialeah Police spokesman Carl Zogby told the Miami Herald.  “For now, we’re not prohibiting the machines in Hialeah businesses so long as they’re not used for the payment of prizes.”

That was not what Hernandez himself said after the law was passed.

“Our priority is to obey the law,” Hernandez told El Nuevo Herald reporter Enrique Flor back then. “When the governor signed the law… our licensing department immediately contacted all the owners of maquinitas to tell them they had 48 hours to pick them up.”

But was there another switch 48 hours later? Or eight days? Or four weeks later? Because they are back.

They are in plain sight at the Chevron gas station on West 12th Avenue and 36 Street, or El Rey de los Jugos next to Navarro’s on 16th Avenue and 43rd, or Cafeteria Epicentro, 6905 West 12th Ave., which is open 24 hours and has a heavy police presence most of the time. They are also visible at Kristals Liquors, 7105 West 12th Ave., and at the dollar store next to it and at the cafeteria on West 18th Avenue across from the state licensing bureau. Even by a park at the little cafeteria on Hialeah Drive and East 11th Avenue.

At least at Mi Regresso cafeteria and mini mart, on West 12th Avenue and 26th Street, the maquinitas are hidden in the back room. Because even the owners know they are doing something wrong.

Zogby blamed the businesses themselves, telling the Herald that the city took this new approach after several Hialeah businesses defied the state law.

Hmmm. I wonder who those businesses are. Could they be the ones owned by Jesus Navarro and Jesus Abreu, the two maquinita kings who helped fund the mayor’s campaigns before? Who, las malas lenguas say, are pumping thousands of dollars into a PAC for his run against underdog challenger former Mayor Julio Martinez?

While Ladra could not find any obvious signs of their money in the campaign funds for Hernandez in this election year, or the PAC to which they were speaking, that doesn’t mean the money isn’t somewhere. Navarro and Abreu have been politically active before. Last year, they hosted a fundraiser for Hernandez at one of Hialeah’s many strip mall ballrooms. We weren’t allowed inside but Ladra was there.

And we know that candidates sometimes have access to non-reported funds — called “soft money” — that is easier or more politically expedient to, well, not report for one reason or another.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle told America TV’s Erica Carillo Monday that the maquinitas are not illegal if they do not give a prize. Isn’t that the same argument apologists for this gambling industry made last year? The same argument they made before legislators closed the loophole?

State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, who sponsored the legislation that passed in April, sure thinks that the state legislation trumps the local interpretation of the law.

“I’m in shock. I don’t know what gives Hialeah the impression it can act like they’re a sovereign nation,” Trujillo told Ladra. That was before the state attorney gave her opinion, however.

“I can’t believe they can ignore state law based on an advisory,” the representative said, adding that he had contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s office.

But what he didn’t know was that it was already reported to the FDLE. Nobody would report this kind of thing to Hialeah Police, especially since it is highly suspected that Police Chief Sergio Velazquez — who was promoted from sergeant by his good buddy, the mayor, even if he is woefully unqualified — is protecting these maquinita owners from the long arm of the law on behalf of he who benefits the most: Hernandez.

That complaint to the FDLE came complete with pictures and addresses of where the maquinitas were located. Rather than raid the places and force the owners to talk about who was collecting the monies and providing them with protection, they forwarded the complaint over to the Hialeah Police internal affairs division. Can you believe that?

That’s like putting the hen in the fox den.

In fact, there was a Hialeah Police officer at the cafeteria when America TV’s Diana Montano broke the story last week and he told her that he didn’t know what happened but that all he knew was that they were taken out and then they were suddenly back in. As she spoke to him, Zogby pulled up to the location. She didn’t call him there. But someone did.

So let’s get this straight. Hialeah had the maquinitas removed at some point, right? Now they are allowing them. Hmmmm… what could the difference be? Oh, maybe elections around the corner?

Montano also told Ladra that one of the cafeteria owners told her that the city said they could have the maqunitas only through Sept. 30. Why that arbitrary date? The election is not until November.

Thank goodness the complainant went to the FBI Monday. That much ballyhooed, multi-jurisdictional, FBI-led anti-corruption super squad — which Mayor Carlos Gimenez has defended by saying that it takes politics out of investigations — should definitely look into this maquinita mafia and their ties to Hernanedez, even if he is now our “Golden Boy” mayor’s buddy.

Or will they forward the complaint to Hialeah, too?