Illegal alcohol sales alleged at TC area store

Teofilo Nunez, above, Pineda Cardenas, below

By DEUCE NIVEN

     Illegal alcohol sales alleged at a rural Tabor City area convenience store resulted in the arrest of two people Wednesday, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
     Vice-Narcotics Unit detectives executing a search warrant at La Michoacana, a privately owned convenience store on Wednesday, seized cases of alcohol ready for sale, along with coolers used to store the alcohol, sheriff’s spokeswoman Michelle Tatum said in a news release.
     Teofilo Nunez, 50, and Pineda Cardenas, 28, of separate addresses on Swamp Fox Hwy East, east of Tabor City, were each charged with possession/sale of alcoholic beverages with no permit. Nunez, whose address was the same as La Michoacana, was charged with two counts of the crime, his bond set at $3,000 secured. Bond for Cardenas, facing a single charge, was $1,000 secured.
     Detectives began their investigation after receiving citizen complaints alleging the distribution of alcohol to minors at the store, Tatum said. Undercover detectives made purchases at the store, which prompted the search warrant.
    Look for additional details, as they become available, in Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.