Cheraw Scrapyard Closed After a Search for CSX Rail
Published: November 3, 2026
By: Adam Burns
CHERAW, S.C. — The Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, CSX Police, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division searched Cheraw Iron and Metal Inc. on Tuesday, October 27, and state authorities then ordered the business closed. The yard is at 179 Legion Lane in Cheraw, off Highway 52. SLED’s Immigration Unit assisted in the search.
A view of the railroad scrap metal at the Cheraw Iron and Metal Inc. facility in Cheraw, South Carolina. Photo courtesy of the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office.
What deputies said they found
Capt. Angel Tubbs is leading the investigation into thefts of Sandhill Telephone Co. wiring, CSX railroad tracks and materials, and other property in Chesterfield County. Investigators found thousands of pounds of railroad tracks, spikes, and related materials the business had purchased. The sheriff’s office said those materials were identified as CSX property. They also found wiring believed to have come from Sandhill Telephone Co.
The sheriff’s office said the business was operating without the required permit to purchase regulated metals and had failed to meet documentation and business-record requirements. State authorities, working with Sheriff Cambo Streater, ordered Cheraw Iron and Metal closed until further notice. The yard can reopen when it meets the applicable state requirements. Streater revoked its authorization to purchase nonferrous metals and directed it to stop purchasing regulated materials.
During the search, SLED’s Immigration Unit took five employees into custody on suspicion of immigration law violations. In the sheriff’s account, the employees were not named and no charges were specified. Investigators are still going through the evidence, the recovered materials, and the business records to decide whether additional criminal charges are warranted.
Related reading on American-Rails.com
Sources
- WPDE, Tonya Brown, posted October 27, 2026, and updated October 28, 2026. The account used here is the updated report of the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office. Search warrant on October 27 at Cheraw Iron and Metal Inc., 179 Legion Lane, Cheraw, off Highway 52, by the sheriff’s office, CSX Police, and SLED, with SLED’s Immigration Unit assisting. Capt. Angel Tubbs. Thousands of pounds of tracks, spikes, and related materials identified as CSX property, and wiring believed to be from Sandhill Telephone Co. No permit to purchase regulated metals, and failures of documentation and business records. Sheriff Cambo Streater and state authorities closed the business until it meets state requirements, revoked authority to buy nonferrous metals, and directed it to stop buying regulated materials. Five employees were taken into custody on suspicion of immigration law violations. The sheriff’s account did not name them or specify charges. The investigation of possible further criminal charges is continuing.
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