North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agents hauled away the owner of a downtown Holly Springs convenience store Wednesday after a search warrant turned up what the agency says was more than five pounds of marijuana and other contraband. ALE says the raid at the Main Street Mini Mart followed complaints that the shop had been selling tobacco products to minors and pushing items labeled as hemp that later tested above legal THC limits. The arrest is the latest in a growing series of state crackdowns on retail spots accused of blending legal products with illicit drugs.
According to CBS17, agents serving the warrant seized about 5.8 pounds of marijuana, roughly 9.3 ounces of kratom, novelty lighters designed to look like guns, counterfeit soda cans often used to hide drugs, and other paraphernalia. The outlet reports that products on the shelves labeled as hemp tested above the legal THC limit, and that complaints about the business started rolling in back in February. CBS17 says ALE arrested a 36-year-old Fuquay-Varina resident in connection with the search.
Charges and arrest
ALE says the store’s owner, 36-year-old Waleed Abdulbaki Nasher Al Aerqi of Fuquay-Varina, was arrested after the search. Authorities allege he faces multiple felony counts, including maintaining a business for a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, along with misdemeanor counts tied to counterfeit trademark, selling alcohol without required permits, and unlawfully selling tobacco and novelty items to minors. Those are still allegations, and the case will move through the county criminal process as prosecutors weigh formal filings.
Why ALE is involved
The N.C. Department of Public Safety notes that ALE special agents have statewide jurisdiction to investigate illegal alcohol, tobacco, and controlled-substance activity at both licensed and unlicensed retail outlets. The division routinely teams up with local prosecutors and police on complex retail enforcement actions. In recent months, that has meant a series of ALE operations around the state that target convenience stores and mini marts suspected of illegal sales and permit violations.
Those wider enforcement sweeps have led to dozens of charges, sizable drug seizures, and permit suspensions in other cases, which ALE officials say is why they keep such a close eye on stores that mix legal and illegal products on the same shelves. WECT has documented the agency’s pattern of multi-agency retail crackdowns in recent years.
What comes next
The Holly Springs case will now move through Wake County’s criminal process and be sent to local prosecutors for charging decisions and any future court dates. ALE and Wake County officials had not released additional public details as of Wednesday, and CBS17 remains the primary public account of the seizure and arrest so far.
