ICE: Freehold Arrest Part of National Operation

A Jackson Mills Road man was one of three individuals arrested in Monmouth County by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of the agency’s national “Cross-Check” operation, according ICE spokesperson Harold Ort.

Pedro Melo, 36, was taken into custody on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 11 p.m., according to Freehold Township police records. He was exiting his vehicle at his Freehold Township residence when ICE officers made the arrest. Melo was allegedly found in possession of prescription drugs and a substance believed to be heroin, according to the Freehold Township Police Department.

“During his arrest by ICE, several packets of a suspected controlled dangerous substance were in plain view of our officers. ICE turned him over to local law enforcement for further prosecution,” Ort said.

Melo was charged with two counts of possession of a dangerous substance and one count of weapons possession, according to Freehold Township police.

ICE has placed a detainer on Melo and removal proceedings will begin after the charges in Freehold Township are adjudicated, Ort said.

ICE arrested 2,901 criminal aliens across the country in late September as part of a week-long national “Cross-Check” operation. The arrests targeted aliens with prior criminal convictions, according to a press release issued by ICE following the operation’s completion.

Melo had two previous felony convictions for attempting to elude police and possession of a controlled dangerous substance on school property, Ort said. Melo’s criminal convictions put him in ICE’s highest enforcement priority for removal from the country, according to Ort.

ICE also arrested a 52-year-old Mexican man in Red Bank and a 51-year-old Korean woman in Howell during the “Cross-Check” operation. Both had previous criminal convictions and are in ICE custody, Ort said.

“ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security,” Ort said.