- Federal, state, and local officers raided La Catedral Arena.
- Track owner Ivan Tellez arrested over illegal betting.
- PODER of Idaho condemned migrant detentions as ‘heartbreaking.’
Federal agents conducted a massive raid Sunday on a private horse racetrack in Wilder, Idaho, uncovering an illegal parimutuel betting operation and undocumented migrants, according to local news outlets.
KTVB reported that more than 200 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, including the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), executed a federal search warrant at La Catedral Arena at around 1p.m. Sunday and detained the track owner, Ivan Tellez, along with others involved in gambling at the venue, and dozens of spectators.
Tellez has a permit to hold horse races at La Catedral, but he does not hold a betting license, according to a federal complaint obtained by Casino.org.
Dozens Detained
The raid took place during a racing event, and at least 50 others, apparently unconnected to the gambling operation, were also detained at the scene. Many were led away with their hands zip-tied, according to witnesses who spoke to KTVB.
PODER of Idaho, a campaign group focused on empowering Latinx and immigrant communities, told The Idaho Statesman that people arrived to protest during the detentions.
This is absolutely ridiculous that we arrest and corral people into buses and separate them from their families,” said Estefanía Mondragón, executive director of PODER. “I’ve been on the brink of crying. I can’t believe it’s happening in Idaho. We’re a tight-knit community and these are our neighbors that we’re going after. It’s heartbreaking and a betrayal to our families here.”
Those who were able to show documentation were later released, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
FBI Details Gambling Probe
According to the FBI complaint, in February 2025, agents received a tip from a member of the public that illegal betting was occurring at La Catedral and that a man named Samuel Bejarano, also arrested Sunday, was the bookmaker and administrator for the operation.
The informant also described a “committee” of horse owners, which included Tellez, that was involved in the betting business.
Investigators found that Bejarano had posted about betting and racing at the La Catedral on numerous occasions and received wagers via services such as Venmo and Zelle. Many of these deposits were made a day or two after races were held, according to the complaint.
Investigators also discovered that Tellez had deposited about $100K into accounts connected to La Catedral Arena at Zions Bank over the past two years. He was unable to provide an answer when questioned by bank officials about the source of the funds, per the complaint.
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