Thread: ILL-Federal Agents Raid Goat Meat Plant

Oct 19, 2009 6:16 pm US/Central
Federal Agents Raid Goat Meat Plant
Authorities Confirm Raid, No One Taken Into CustodyKINSMAN, Ill. (CBS)


Federal agents conducted a raid at a goat meat processing plant near Morris, Illinois.

Federal agents conducted a raid Sunday afternoon at a goat meat processing plant near Morris, Illinois. The secretive operation was led by the Chicago FBI office. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports that on Monday, the Feds are being very tight-lipped on what they found and why they were even there.

Spokesman Ross Rice confirms agents were at 6260 Kinsman Road, in Kinsman, Illinois. The business is called First World Management. Rice would not say why agents were there but said nobody was taken into custody.

The FBI said the raid began Sunday morning and ended in the late afternoon. They were at the plant about nine hours total.

FBI officials told CBS 2 the meat plant was shut down and abandoned. A spokeswoman would not comment on whether the plant was processing goat meat illegally.

According to sources, the plant provides goat, beef and lamb meat which is prepared in the Halal way in accordance with Muslim custom.

The government workers inside First World Management meat packing plant in Kinsman Monday wouldn't say why they were there or why scores of FBI agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were there Sunday.

The trouble is the FBI isn't saying much about what happened at this rural Grundy County plant. A spokesman confirms that the plant, which has a Muslim prayer room, was raided as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Several witnesses reported that the Grundy County Sheriff's office was involved, as well, saying sheriff dept. vehicles were visible at the scene. The Sheriff's department denies it was present.

When asked if the raid had something to do with undocumented aliens, the person wouldn't say. A neighbor suggested that undocumented immigrants live in a trailer behind the facility and work there.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the agency assisted in the raid, but had no further comment. According to sources, many of the FBI and ICE agents were armed.

Several USDA criminal investigators were on site at the plant on Monday, but they would not comment on the situation.

One man who was talking about the raid was Jim Cavaness. He's a handyman who occasionally works at the plant where goats, sheep and cows are slaughtered. On Sunday, he witnessed the raid and says he was questioned by FBI agents.

Cavaness says the FBI asked him if he had seen anything unusual at the plant. He says he's never seen anything unusual, but, he says, judging by the amount of firepower on the scene, the FBI wasn't just working an immigration case.

"Way too much overkill for immigration," Cavaness said.

Neighbors who saw the raid on Sunday told CBS 2 it was a huge operation, involving more than 100 agents, police officers and even what one believed to be National Guard troops.

Sources say during the raid, the driveway was filled with more than 50 government vehicles. There was a helicopter flying overhead and a command center set up. On top of it were government sharpshooters with rifles at the ready.

George Jackson III is an attorney hired by one of the plant operators, Dr. Syed Hamid. Jackson and Dr. Hamid spoke briefly while on their way to a meeting with the federal prosecutor Monday.

Jackson says it's too early to say why there was such a huge show of force at the plant.

"Obviously, it was more than what was needed here, but why they felt the need to come forward with that much manpower allegedly, it's too early to say," Jackson said.

Jackson said federal agents confiscated the company's computers, effectively shutting down the business. Dr. Hamid chose not to weigh in Monday.

"I don't want to comment at this point," Dr. Hamid said.

Sources tell CBS 2 there are only six employees at the plant. An FBI spokesman would not confirm that but does say that no one has been charged.



http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Chicago.FB ... 56226.html

Feds raid Grundy slaughterhouse



October 20, 2009

By KIM SMITH ksmith@scn1.com
KINSMAN — In the wake of a Sunday afternoon raid on a former meat-processing plant, residents of this town of 100 have questions but few answers.

Was an al-Qaida cell lurking in the Grundy County village about 20 miles west of Morris, residents asked? Was the building at 6260 S. Kinsman Road housing illegal immigrants? Was meat slaughtered there done illegally?

» Click to enlarge image

Government representatives, one of whom said he was from the United States Department of Agriculture's compliance unit but would not give his name, were at 6260 Kinsman Road in Kinsman on Monday after a reported FBI raid on a meat processing facility.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff Photographer)


RELATED STORIES
• Photos: Raid in Grundy County
Authorities aren't offering answers.

The only thing that is certain is that the business known as First World Management Services was raided Sunday.

FBI spokesman Ross Rice confirmed the search but said, "There have been no arrests as a result of this raid."

He said the raid was the result of a warrant issued out of U.S. District Court.

Members of the Department of Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency assisted the FBI on the scene. Grundy County sheriff's police also were involved.

Rice said there was no connection to unconfirmed reports of a raid of the home of a Chicago doctor believed to own the business.

It is believed that the plant is used to slaughter goats and sheep per Muslim religious requirements. If killed a specific way, meat is "halal," meaning it can be eaten by Muslims.

Military uniforms reported

Witnesses said about 100 agents were on the scene Sunday. Some wore military apparel similar to the uniforms of U.S. National Guardsmen.

People with guns surrounded men who appeared to be dressed in Middle Eastern garments and were seated in front of the buildings, witnesses said. Later, the men were let go.

Helicopters, trucks and SUVs could be seen in front of the building during the raid and stayed until at least 9 p.m.

"All the lights were on, and the blinds were drawn," a Kinsman resident said.

On Monday, several men were still on the scene. One identified himself a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative, but the others refused to say who they were.

Slaughtering on-site

On the Grundy County property, a dilapidated old white barn with green shingles bearing the letter R is connected to several pole-style additions attached to a brick building trimmed in red.

The plant is behind an old, two-story farmhouse sided in white with black shutters.

Next to the slaughterhouse was a pen containing several goats, sheep and a horse.

Residents said the plant was once owned by William Rodosky and later was sold to another company that went bankrupt a few years later.

The new owners have operated the business for about five years now, they said, with animals being slaughtered there and shipped to Chicago for processing.

"This kind of thing has never happened here before," said a woman who didn't want to be identified. "It is scary to think what could be involved."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/hera ... 9.article#

This was clearly not just a raid for illegal aliens. Something much bigger was afoot. Stay tuned.

Originally Posted by TexasBorn

This was clearly not just a raid for illegal aliens. Something much bigger was afoot. Stay tuned.

I agree... sounds like terrorism and/or Racketeering.

Dixie