Wake County agents raid Holly Springs store over illegal sales allegations

State alcohol enforcement agents raided a Holly Springs convenience store after complaints that began in February about tobacco being sold to young children, hemp-labeled items that were actually marijuana and alcohol sales without permits.

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement executed the search warrant Wednesday, April 22, at Main Street Mini Mart, 126 N. Main St., and said the search turned up 5.8 pounds of marijuana, 9.3 ounces of kratom, novelty lighters shaped like guns and counterfeit soda cans that investigators said are often used to hide drugs. Agents said the lighter-shaped items were especially troubling because they could be mistaken for toys in a store that is visible to the public and easy for young people to enter.

Waleed Abdulbaki Nasher Al Aerqi, 36, of Fuquay-Varina, was arrested in connection with the raid. ALE said he faces charges that include felony possession with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver marijuana, felony possession of marijuana, felony maintaining a business for a controlled substance, felony selling marijuana, misdemeanor retail selling of prohibited novelty lighters, misdemeanor counterfeit trademark and misdemeanor selling alcoholic beverages without permits.

Holly Springs Police assisted with the search, signaling that local officers viewed the case as more than a licensing issue. For families in Holly Springs and nearby Wake County neighborhoods, the allegations cut to everyday safety concerns: whether a neighborhood stop was exposing children to age-restricted products and whether mislabeled merchandise was being used to move illegal drugs through an ordinary storefront.

The case fits ALE’s broader enforcement mission. The agency says it works to reduce criminal activity at licensed and illegal alcohol establishments, curb youth access to age-restricted products and enforce North Carolina’s alcohol, tobacco, gambling and lottery laws. It also uses prevention efforts such as Be A Responsible Seller and Cops in Shops. A 2024 North Carolina operation known as Operation Vape Trail underscored how widespread the problem can be, with more than 100 undercover purchases and more than 30,000 illegal THC products seized statewide.