During the week of May 11, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested dozens of truck drivers as part of Operation Checkmate in Arizona. That same week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement partnered with South Carolina law enforcement to make 114 arrests in operations targeting “fraudulent truck drivers.”
Coined as Operation Safe Drive and Operation Rubber Duck, law enforcement targeted commercial motor vehicles along Interstate 26 and Interstate 85 from May 12 to May 14.
According to ICE, the two operations combined for:
- 114 criminal and administrative arrests
- 10 kilograms of cocaine seized with an estimated value of $200,000
- 145 vehicle stops and 77 inspections
- 89 citations for traffic and safety violations
- 22 drivers and vehicles removed from service
“Operation Rubber Duck underscores that Homeland Security Investigations and our partners will aggressively pursue, disrupt and dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities,” said Mark M. Zito, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina.
Operation Checkmate
Referred to as Operation Checkmate, U.S. Border Patrol Agents arrested 52 individuals during the week of May 11 for being in the U.S. illegally. Thirty-six of those arrested were driving semi-trucks, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Of the 36 illegal alien semi-truck drivers arrested, 29 were in possession of commercial driver’s licenses from states such as California, New York, Washington and Virginia,” the CBP said. “Three did not possess any form of driver’s license. Thirty of the individuals were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador and Russia.” The arrested drivers are now scheduled for deportation.
According to the Border Patrol, most of the drivers possessed expired Employment Authorization Documents.
“Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety,” said Dustin Caudle, acting chief patrol agent of the CBP’s Yuma, Ariz., sector. “My agents are on patrol every day to ensure we stop these individuals and prevent more deadly crashes from occurring on the road across the United States.” LL
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