Audio By Carbonatix
Late Wednesday morning, would-be customers of Teskey’s Saddle Shop, both in Weatherford and Fort Worth, were surprised to find themselves turned away from a store that was under federal lockdown.
Locals were suitably scandalized, particularly because ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok would tell the Weathorford Democrat nothing more than that the stores were the target of “an operation in support of a criminal investigation.”
So was it drugs? Tax evasion? Human trafficking? Was the small-town tack shop merely a front for a ruthless global criminal enterprise?
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No, no, no, and no. Teskey’s explained the situation on Facebook.
“The investigation is being done by customs agents which are a part of homeland security,” they wrote. “They are investigating a violation of the law Marking of Imported Articles 19 USC 1304. There are no other violations. It’s unfortunate to hear about the rumors of drugs and tax evasion which are absolutely untrue.”
The U.S. law in question is the one requiring imported goods to be labeled with “Made in ____.”
Owner Michael Teskey told CBS 11 that the raid was apparently initiated after investigators discovered a shipment of belts that lacked such a marking.”We put a label on there that says Teskey’s, Weatherford, Texas,” he said. “And that’s it, with a price tag on it and a bar code.”
Both Teskey’s locations are open for business today, federal law enforcement having concluded that the stores no longer pose a threat to global commerce.
