Deputies say they’re cracking down on fake license plates

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — In just a year and a half, deputies in Union County say they’ve found more than 1,000 fake license plates on cars driving around.

You’ve probably seen some of them - hand-written temporary tags, counterfeit dealer plates, and others -- and the Union County Sheriff’s Office says traffic stops over those forged plates often result in arrests for stolen vehicle recoveries, illegal weapons, and narcotics seizures.

On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office posted that a 24-hour operation for fake plates last week ended up with 225 criminal charges in Union County.

“Seizing over 1,100 forged license plates is no small feat and has required a great deal of training, hard work, and dedication from our personnel,” Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey said in a statement shared Tuesday. “Drivers charged during this operation often tell our deputies that they were warned to stay out of Union County by their criminal associates and express regret for not heeding that advice.”

The sheriff’s office says criminals often use forged license plates “to avoid detection while driving stolen motor vehicles.” Others use forged license plates to avoid passing a required safety inspection, or they’ve had their driver’s license revoked.

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