Latest news with #OperationLastStand
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Two men facing state charges in ongoing investigation into unsanctioned Charleston County nightclub
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — Two men are now facing state-level alcohol, weapons, and narcotics charges in connection with an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal activity at an unsanctioned nightclub in Charleston County. Multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies carried out a targeted sting operation at the Alamo club on Highway 78 around 3 a.m. on June 1, which resulted in the arrests of 80 people, including two alleged high-level cartel members and one person wanted in an international murder investigation. Warrants provided June 6 by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) indicate that further investigation in the aftermath of what has been called 'Operation Last Stand' has resulted in additional charges against two individuals. Benjamin Reyna Flores, 59, was charged with Sale of Alcohol by an Unlicensed Person, Unlawful Storage of Alcoholic Liquors, Unlawful Sale of Liquor and Unlawful Sale of Beer. Terone Lavince Lawson, 44, was charged with Possession of Psilocybin MushroomsPossession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Cocaine and two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of Certain Crimes. The warrants state that Lawson was working as a security guard at the nightclub at the time of the raid, and that drugs and weapons were found in his vehicle. Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said during a June 2 press conference that the agency had been monitoring the unlicensed club since November 2024. Immigration advocates say Charleston County sting operation unfairly targeted Latinos and Hispanics Authorities said seven people believed to be victims of human trafficking were discovered inside the club during the raid, as well as a missing juvenile. More than 70 people who were taken into custody were believed to be in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The agency also claimed the club was run by a suspected member of Los Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel. But few details surrounding who exactly was swept up in the operation have raised concerns of racial profiling among some in the Hispanic and Latino communities, with immigration advocates calling for more transparency. 'Many of us are too afraid to speak up — not because we're guilty, but because we fear retaliation,' Alejandar Delaveea said in a June 6 press conference. 'Because we don't have legal status. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time is treated like a crime — even if it's your first offense. If living life is a crime, then I guess I'm guilty… but one thing I won't be is silent.' The investigation remains ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration advocates say Charleston County sting operation unfairly targeted Latinos and Hispanics
North Charleston, S.C. (WCBD) — A massive sting operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies has come under scrutiny after immigrant advocacy groups and faith leaders raised concerns about civil rights violations during the arrests. Earlier this week, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office—along with Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other agencies carried out 'Operation Last Stand,' arresting 80 people in a raid in Ladson. Officials say the raid focused on a location known as The Alamo, which had reportedly been under surveillance for a year due to suspected criminal activity. Authorities claim they arrested two high-level cartel members and an international murder suspect. But community members and immigrant advocates argue the sweep went too far. 'The narrative from the sheriff, governor, and attorney general is that they're targeting violent criminals,' said Will McCorkle, with the Charleston Immigrant Coalition. 'What they quickly overlook are the innocent people who were detained and are now facing deportation for no real purpose.' Two men facing state charges in ongoing investigation into unsanctioned Charleston County nightclub During a press conference held by local advocacy groups, speakers said many of those arrested were not involved in criminal activity and were instead racially profiled and swept up in a broader operation without just cause. 'Let me be clear. We do not condone criminal activity,' said Dulce Lopez, Civil Rights Strategist for the ACLU of South Carolina. 'But no one deserves to be criminalized by simply existing in communities and places. No one should be treated as guilty by association.' Some individuals present at the club that night allege they were lined up and questioned based on appearance alone. 'It didn't matter what we showed them,' said Alejandar Delaveea, an immigrant advocate who was there. 'They refused to believe our IDs were valid. People were lined up by skin color. Those with tattoos were separated and questioned as potential gang members.' Advocates are calling on the Charleston County Sheriff's Office to release the full incident report and provide clarity on how decisions were made during the raid. Many also demand the department cut ties with ICE to rebuild trust within the Hispanic and Latino communities. 'Charleston County's decision to align itself with ICE is a destructive one,' said McCorkle. 'It's already torn families apart and will continue to damage the trust between law enforcement and the people they're supposed to protect.' News 2 reached out to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office regarding these concerns, and the department has not commented on the allegations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Charleston immigrant community decries police, ICE raid of SC nightclub
Alejandra De La Vega, pictured on Friday, June 6, 2025, outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. De La Vega was among those present but not arrested during a June 1 law enforcement raid of Alamo nightclub in Charleston County. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) NORTH CHARLESTON — After law enforcement arrested 80 people during a weekend sting operation at a nightclub in Charleston County, federal immigration officials claimed 'the community at large knew that there was nothing good going on at that establishment.' But for some people present during the 3 a.m. June 1 raid at the Alamo, that simply was not the case. For Alejandra De La Vega, the venue located just outside the town of Summerville, right along the Charleston and Dorchester county line, was a place to dance with friends. 'I went to Alamo to enjoy the night, just like many others,' she told reporters Friday. 'But instead of fun, it turned into fear and humiliation.' De La Vega had just stepped out of the restroom when she said police stormed in, guns drawn. Patrons were running and screaming, she said, as more officers streamed in and ordered people to the ground. 'It was chaos,' she said at the news conference outside the Lonnie Hamilton Public Services Building in North Charleston. County, state and federal law enforcement held and questioned the more than 200 people present at the club during the raid, dubbed 'Operation Last Stand,' for two hours, De La Vega said. The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division began investigating Alamo in November 2024 after receiving a tip about potential human trafficking at the venue, agency spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich told the SC Daily Gazette Friday. The Department of Homeland Security also got involved in the investigation at that time, she said. Later Friday, SLED announced criminal charges against two people, the club's 59-year-old owner, Benjamin Reyna-Flores of Hanahan, and a 44-year-old security guard at the club, Terone Lavince Lawson of North Charleston. Reyna-Flores faces multiple charges related to unlawful sale of alcohol. The club had no alcohol license. Lawson faces illegal gun and drug possession charges. According to warrants from SLED, Lawson had 2 grams of meth, an eight ball of cocaine, and less than a gram of psychedelic mushrooms in his van. Police also found a pair of handguns in the van, which Lawson cannot legally possess due to past convictions for burglary in 2008 and assault in 2003. Those arrested include two unidentified 'high-level cartel members' associated with the Mexico-based Los Zetas cartel and the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and one person wanted by Interpol for murder in Honduras, said U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent Cardell Morant. Ten juveniles as young as 13 — including one reported as missing — as well as an unidentified number of potential human trafficking victims were at the club at the time of the raid. Law enforcement also reported seizing guns, cocaine and cash. In her retelling of events, De La Vega said police separated anyone with visible tattoos and photographed them. De La Vega, a transgender Latina woman who has lived in the United States since 2001, said officers questioned the validity of her state-issued I.D. card, as well as that of the transgender woman she was there with. De La Vega has legal residency status in the U.S. She was not arrested. But 80% of those arrested Sunday did not have legal status to be in the country. The vast majority were arrested on civil immigration charges, not criminal violations. Five people were arrested for criminal offenses, Morant said. Homeland Security confirmed to The Post & Courier that Sergio Joel Galo-Baca is the Honduran man wanted for international homicide. Beyond SLED's announcement Friday, no other names or list of charges have been released. Homeland Security officials have not responded to emails sent by the SC Daily Gazette. 'The narrative that's been put out by the sheriff, by the governor, by the attorney general, is that they are just trying to stop violent criminals, stop trafficking,' said Will McCorkle, a member of the Charleston Immigrant Coalition. 'But what they quickly overlook are the many innocent people that were detained and are now in the process of deportation for no real purpose.' Now, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, several families do not know where their family members are. They have searched their names online using Immigration and Customs Enforcement's database that people can use to locate the state and center where detainees are being held. But their family members' names have not shown up in the search, said Dulce Lopez, immigrant rights advocacy strategist for the ACLU. They can only assume, based on news reports, that their family members are at an ICE holding facility in Folkston, Georgia. 'That made me realize, how easily everything can be taken away,' De La Vega said. 'I keep thinking, what if I didn't have a legal status? What if I were detained and ripped away from my family?' 'My mom is my hero,' De La Vega continued. 'She came to this country and gave me and my siblings a better life. She raised us with love and sacrifice and with so much strength. We're really close, and I don't know what I would do if I was taken from her. No one should have lived with that fear.' Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie, during a news conference Monday, cited noise complaints at the club and reports of assaults in the parking lot. Outside of Sunday's raid, the sheriff's department responded to the club 13 other times since 2020 for calls including 'suspicious circumstances,' vandalism and one armed robbery, according to a call log provided by the department. Area business owners said their biggest issue in the last several months had been club goers parking on the side of the highway and in their parking lots after the club's lot filled up, leaving behind excessive trash and beer bottles after nearly every weekend. The nightclub did not have a license to sell alcohol. A group of faith and immigrant community leaders stressed that they do not condone criminal activity. 'But no one deserves to be treated as guilty by association,' said Lopez, of the ACLU. People have reason to be afraid, McCorckle said, citing the recent case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Living in Maryland, Garcia had been protected from deportation by a 2019 judge's ruling that he likely faced gang persecution in his home country. The Trump administration has insisted Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, which Garcia denied. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Garcia was back in U.S. custody to face criminal charges in Tennessee related to human smuggling.
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
Dozens Arrested in South Carolina Nightclub Raid Tied to Alleged Los Zetas Cartel Member
A nightclub allegedly operated by a member of the Los Zetas cartel was raided over the weekend in Summerville, South Carolina, resulting in nearly 80 arrests. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detailed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted an operation after receiving a tip about "The Alamo," an illegal underground nightclub located roughly 25 miles northwest of Charleston. Authorities said the club was a hub for weapons, narcotics, and human trafficking. The raid, dubbed "Operation Last Stand," took place around 3 a.m. on June 1 and involved approximately 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Officials said 66 of those arrested were in the United States illegally, and five had outstanding criminal warrants. Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie and Cardell Morant, special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations, held a press conference following the raid. Ritchie stated that two of those arrested were believed to be "high-level cartel members" with ties to both the Los Zetas cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang. Authorities expect the number of individuals tied to gangs to increase as the investigation continues. Officials did not release the identities of the alleged cartel members or disclose the extent of their involvement in criminal operations. 🚨A Mexican illegal alien and member of a violent cartel was arrested by @ICEgov agents in Charleston. This arrest underscores our commitment to protecting communities from transnational criminal threats. — HSI Charlotte (@HSI_Charlotte) June 2, 2025 Among those arrested was Sergio Joel Galo-Baca, a Honduran national living in the country illegally. He was subject to an active Interpol Red Notice for homicide in his home country, officials said. During the operation authorities seized firearms, cocaine and an "unknown controlled substance" in addition to a large quantity of "bulk currency," ABC News 4 reported. Four vehicles were also seized for drug-related offenses and are awaiting search warrants. Additionally, ten youths between the ages of 13 and 21 were removed from the club and returned to their parents. Authorities believe some of them may be victims of human trafficking and were handed over to state social services for protection and care Law enforcement officials said the nightclub's owner and primary operator was identified as Benjamin Reyna-Flores. He was arrested and booked into the Charleston County jail. Reyna-Flores faces multiple charges, including unlawful storage and transportation of alcoholic liquors, illegal sale and manufacturing of alcohol, and sales to an unlicensed person. His bond was set at $4,715. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court later this month. "The successful operation that took place in the Charleston area resulted in more than 70 arrests of illegal aliens — including an international murder suspect — and the dismantling of a nightclub run by a suspected cartel member where drug, weapon, and human trafficking were taking place," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, fugitives and lawbreakers are on notice: Leave now, or ICE will find you and deport you." Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ICE storms cartel-run nightclub, arrests 72 migrants including murder suspect
Federal immigration agents raided a cartel-operated nightclub in South Carolina early Sunday, arresting more than 70 illegal migrants, including a Honduran fugitive wanted for homicide, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Alamo, an underground nightclub in Summerville, was packed at around 3 a.m. when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stormed the building, recovering firearms, bulk cash, seven potential trafficking victims and a missing juvenile. Teens as young as 13 were found drinking inside the club, local law enforcement said. The club's owner, Benjamin Reyna-Flores, is a suspected member of the Los Zetas Cartel — now known as Cártel del Noreste (CDN) — which was formally designated a terrorist organization by the Trump Administration in February, Homeland Security said. He now faces both state and federal charges. Ice Agents In Boston Arrest Migrant Murderer, Child Rapists As Fox News Rides Along The raid was part of a months-long investigation into the establishment, which officials said was a hotbed for narcotics, weapons and human trafficking. The investigation was code-named "Operation Last Stand," and around 200 law enforcement personnel across 14 agencies were on the ground. In total, 80 arrests were made. One of the most high-profile arrests was that of Sergio Joel Galo-Baca, a Honduran illegal alien and foreign fugitive with an active INTERPOL Red Notice for homicide in Honduras. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Charlotte led the operation with local law enforcement, Read On The Fox News App DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin praised the results of the raid. "Day in and day out, the brave men and women of ICE are working with local law enforcement to keep American communities safe," McLaughlin said. "Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, fugitives and law-breakers are on notice: Leave now or ICE will find you and deport you." The nightclub is located off Highway 78. Maryland Democrat Ivey Furious Not Given Access To Kilmar Abrego Garcia In El Salvador South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster echoed McLaughlin comments and said that Tren de Aragua gang members were also arrested. "This is what years of open borders got us, but now things have changed," McMaster posted on X. "We will continue to have more investigations like this one to rid South Carolina of these criminals." Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said law enforcement has been gathering information in this case since November, when repeated noise complaints led deputies to investigate further. Deputies and agents entered the nightclub with 116 arrest warrants, both criminal and immigration-related. Ritchie said, per Wcsc, that they were able to serve 80 warrants. Deputies said some were citizens and others were non-citizens. Among those arrested were two "high-level" cartel members, a number Ritchie expects to grow. Deputy Administrator Eric Watson, meanwhile, described the scene as a "cartel afterparty." Two witnesses, David Herrera and Destiny Tinoco, said the nightclub filled up with agents and deputies shouting commands, some inside translating the words to Spanish. "I saw dancing, I saw people smiling, having a good time and then boom. It all went to chaos," Herrera told WCSC. "A bunch of agents from multiple agencies came in, pointing guns at people, barking orders, telling people to get the "bleep" down, put your hands up. Basically, detained the whole building for, like, an hour and a half, maybe two hours. People were coming up to them, saying, 'I have kids at home.'" Ritchie, meanwhile, said some of those arrested face charges for assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, possession of controlled substances and possession of a article source: ICE storms cartel-run nightclub, arrests 72 migrants including murder suspect
