KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WIS/WBTV) – At least 16 people were detained Wednesday as federal investigators carried out a criminal search warrant at a North Carolina business, officials said during a press conference.

WBTV reported officers with Homeland Security Investigations, which operates under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, executed a search warrant at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company in Kings Mountain.

Kings Mountain police said on Wednesday, June 25, that they were assisting Homeland Security Investigations serve a federal criminal search warrant at a business on Kings Road. (Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte)

Officials said the search warrant was part of an investigation into alleged identity theft and other possible federal crimes. An ICE spokesperson did not clarify whether any charges were being brought against those detained.

ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams did say that employees were still inside being questioned and processed as of around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Several employees have already gone through the screening process and returned home.

There were about 300 employees at the business when ICE arrived, officials said.

Authorities believed that someone, possibly the employer, used fraudulent documents to employ people who aren’t authorized to work in the U.S., Williams said.

The Kings Mountain Police Department said that they were helping Homeland Security Investigations serve a federal criminal search warrant at the business on Kings Road. Homeland Security Investigations operates under ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Buckeye Fire Equipment Company is a fire protection equipment supplier that sells extinguishers, suppression systems, and more.

Kings Mountain police said that their role was “limited to addressing any potential state charges that may arise as part of the investigation.”

Several viewers reached out to WBTV about a potential federal raid at the Kings Mountain business. Photos and videos posted on social media appeared to show officers inside what looked to be a warehouse.

Homeland Security Investigations said Wednesday that there was no danger to the public.

A family member of the current leadership at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company was sentenced to federal prison for tax evasion in 2018. It was not immediately clear whether that situation was connected with Wednesday’s search warrant.

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