80 arrests made at South Carolina nightclub, result of SLED sting operation
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WSAV) — Multiple law enforcement agencies arrested 80 people at a nightclub in Charleston County, S.C. early Sunday morning after a months-long sting operation.
Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said the investigation, called 'Operation Last Stand,' into the Alamo Nightclub began last November. He described the club as a source of crime, assaults and drug dealing.
In a media conference Monday, Sheriff Ritchie talked about some of the 80 people who were arrested. 'Of those were two high level cartel members that were arrested, including those that were with the Las Vegas cartel and from the Tren de Aragua gang, so again, these are folks that have affiliations. There are others that we're looking into right now, checking their affiliations, and we believe that number may grow.'
The extensive sting resulted in more than just local arrests. Sheriff Ritchie said, 'There was one international warrant, a murder suspect warrant that was served and located an individual from Honduras wanted for murder by Interpol. Let me say that again. We had a murder suspect from Honduras in this club.'
The sheriff said the Alamo Nightclub was, quote, 'an unlicensed, unsanctioned bar' where IDs were not checked. He also said they found ten juveniles in the club.
'Our youngest that was removed from that situation was 13 years old – 13. What were they doing there at 3 o'clock in the morning – after 3 o'clock in the morning?'
One of the juveniles recovered had been reported missing. The sheriff said a number of human trafficking victims were removed from the club as well and were being assisted.
The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Homeland Security and ICE agents worked on the investigation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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