Multi-Agency Operation Targets Alleged Criminal Illegal Immigrants In Charleston, South Carolina

A multi-agency operation at a nightclub in Charleston, South Carolina, resulted in the arrests of 80 people allegedly in the country illegally, according to Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

“This weekend, in coordination with ICE, SLED, and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, we conducted a highly successful sting operation targeting criminal illegal immigrants, resulting in 80 arrests,” McMaster announced in a post on X Monday.

This weekend, in coordination with @ICEgov, SLED, and the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office we conducted a highly successful sting operation targeting criminal illegal immigrants that resulted in 80 arrests — including Los Zetas Cartel and Tren de Aragua gang members.

We… pic.twitter.com/RJqkRl3zmS

— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) June 2, 2025

Early Sunday morning, Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies—working alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and other federal, state, and local partners—conducted a targeted enforcement operation at the Alamo nightclub, an unlicensed bar in the Charleston area, officials stated Monday.

Charleston County Sheriff, Carl Ritchie, said during a Monday press conference that law enforcement began investigating the case in November of 2024, after repeated noise complaints and suspicion of drug activity, assaults and potential money laundering prompted deputies to take a closer look at the nightclub’s operations. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Cash Flowing Into Anti-ICE Group’s Coffers Came From Chinese Gov’t-Linked Sources)

Ritchie said that during the sting operation, dubbed “Operation Last Stand,” law enforcement arrested 80 people.

“116 arrest warrants were served—these were warrants that were already on file, both criminal warrants and warrants with our immigration partners, and they can talk more about that,” Ritchie said. “Of those 116 arrest warrants, 80 individuals were actually served those warrants. I understand, and we’ll talk a little more about the illegal activity going in there, there were probably over 200 plus people in that nightclub. That’s a lot of criminal element in that nightclub.”

“Of those were two high-level cartel members that were arrested, including those with the Los Zetas cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang,” he added. “So again, these folks have affiliations—there are others that we’re looking into right now, checking their affiliations, and we believe that number may grow.”

He also mentioned that several potential trafficking victims were rescued and are now receiving help, and that a missing juvenile was found at the scene.

“There was one International warrant, murder suspect warrant, that was served and located, an individual from Honduras wanted for murder by Interpole,” he said.

Additionally, authorities said they discovered several underage patrons being served alcohol inside the nightclub, and the youngest was 13 years old.

The sheriff added that weapons and suspected narcotics were found at the scene, and the substances are currently being tested.

Republican South Carolina Gov. McMaster spoke at the same press conference. He said the sheriff and President Donald Trump are doing exactly what they said they were going to do, and that it’s “making a difference.” (RELATED: AOC Doubles Down On Political Loser As Dems Seek To Ditch ‘Abolish ICE’ Bandwagon)

The governor answered his own question about how a buildup of criminal activity uncovered in the sting operation could occur.

“One way it happened is, when you don’t have strong law enforcement, this is what happens,” McMaster said. “And when you have—particularly in these cases now, that we have now and we will have for years to come—when we have illegal immigration, people with criminal backgrounds, people bent on causing trouble, that are recognized some as terrorists, that are allowed to come through a completely open border, this is what you get.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in coordination with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and other federal, state, and local partners, conducted a targeted enforcement operation in the Charleston area.

— Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (@ChasCoSheriff) June 1, 2025

“I can’t think of a single thing good that would have been going on at this location at this time of night in our county. But this is what we are getting as a result of the lack of enforcement and the non-enforcement of the laws under the Biden administration. We’d get it under any administration, but no administration has done it as poorly as the Biden administration,” he continued.

The governor concluded by praising South Carolina law enforcement and the Trump administration.

“There is no better law enforcement anywhere in this country than we have in South Carolina, and with a strong president, President Trump, doing what he is doing, to put the power of the federal government involved as well with the state and local, we are going to make great progress,” the governor added. (RELATED: ‘Habitual Lawbreakers’: ICE Rolls Up Hundreds Of Illegal Migrant Criminals In Sprawling Massachusetts Operation)

The operation comes on the heels of ICE’s Monday announcement that 1,461 illegal migrants were arrested across Massachusetts during May as part of the month-long “Operation Patriot.”

Many of those detained allegedly had criminal records, involving drug trafficking, sexual offenses and homicide.

The Caller contacted the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, which provided a list of 14 participating agencies but declined to comment on the active investigation. The agencies included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

McMaster’s office referred back to his press conference statements and offered no additional remarks.

The Caller also reached out to the SLED but did not hear back at the time of publication.