SEATTLE — Seattle Police documents obtained by KIRO 7 reveal that a Wallingford convenience store not only sold stolen goods, but placed specific orders for stolen items the owners wanted to stock on their shelves.
BBC Smoke and Wine is located in the heart of the neighborhood's retail core on North 45th. It’s owners, Ahcene and Irina Aribi, are under investigation for Trafficking in Stolen Property.
Documents filed in King County allege the investigation started more than a year ago when a Safeway employee shopping at BBC noticed a package of razors that still had a Safeway security sticker attached. Days later, an investigator saw packages of condoms with QFC stickers on the shelves. So Seattle Police detectives paid informants to repeatedly sell the Aribis wine and other items the informants claimed to have stolen, in exchange for $10 to $20. Those “stolen” items were then bought by detectives and placed into evidence.
Tuesday, when questioned by KIRO 7 reporter Amy Clancy, store owner Irina Aribi denied knowing anything about the allegations or supposed criminal activity.
Clancy: "Your name is all over these documents, and I know that this store was searched in recent weeks, so I know that you do know about it. Are these items stolen?"
Irinia Aribi: "No, I don’t have stolen items and I didn’t do it.”
But according to the documents, both Aribis placed orders with the police informants for specific items they wanted shoplifted: Irina Aribi asked for "Marlboro and Camel" cigarettes. And at least once Ahcene Aribi cautioned a phony shoplifter to: "be careful when you steal."
Tuesday, Wallingford resident Fasil Alemu was shocked by the allegations telling Clancy, “this is news to me.”
Clancy: "Knowing it now, would you shop there?"
Alemu: “No, I wouldn’t.”
A regular BCC customer, who would only identify himself as “Sandy,” wouldn’t say whether he would continue shopping at the Aribis store. But did tell Clancy, “I don’t think that’s very good at all, that somebody’s taking merchandise that belongs to someone else.”
The Seattle Police Department tells Clancy this is an ongoing investigation.
Detective Renee Witt also added that the department is seeing more of this type of crime, now that alcohol is sold in grocery stores.
KIRO
