Without any prompting or details, someone asked: 'Is it the Yassines?' Nothing – but then something strange happened. Before heading Downtown to check out the busts myself, I asked around to see if anyone in the office had heard anything. That was the proverbial tip of the iceberg: Backed by a slew of acronyms in uniform – the IRS, TABC, APD, and the state Comptroller's Office – the feds were moving from bar to bar in what was clearly a targeted operation and not some random sweep. Sixth Street workers were saying the FBI was out in force and in full SWAT gear, dragging boxes out of Treasure Island and into a U-Haul trailer. Reports were vague, but this was not a polite operation. This was Austin in campaign season, not Chicago during Prohibition.Īnd then the word came: The feds had raided a bunch of Downtown bars.
March 22 was a slow day on the News desk.
