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.

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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,

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.

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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 firearm.