Reynosa, Mexico - Mexican authorities destroyed 334 coin operated gambling machines used in underground casinos.

The machines were seized in the Mexican border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros following nine separate investigations, according to information released by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office to Breitbart Texas.

The coin operated machines were destroyed last week in Reynosa as part of the protocol that follows seized assets, Procuraduria General De La Republica (PGR) officials said. Coin operated gambling machines, while illegal in Mexico and in Texas, have become very popular with underground casinos popping up on both sides of the border.

In the Texas border counties of Hidalgo and Cameron, state and local authorities have cracked down on underground casinos since investigators claim they attract criminal activity and are an easy way to launder drug money.

In Reynosa and Matamoros, gambling establishments are under the control of the crime syndicate known as the Gulf Cartel who uses the establishments and other businesses as a quick way to move cash as well as storefronts for street level drug sales, according to a Tamaulipas law enforcement official.

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