A Chattanooga convenience store owner was arrested after police alleged he was running a gambling room and drug distribution operation out of the store and committing electronic benefit transfer and lottery fraud.
Mohamed Saleh, 47, faces 12 charges, including possession of a firearm during a felony, aggravated gambling promotion, violation of drug-free school zoning and four charges of drugs for resale.
Saleh was arrested Friday while Chattanooga Housing Authority investigators and Chattanooga police were executing two narcotics search warrants on One Stop Shop, a convenience store in the Westside. The search resulted from a drug sales investigation, according to the affidavit. When he was arrested, Saleh allegedly told an officer that he had a loaded gun on him, which the officer retrieved.
Police searched the store and the neighboring gambling room, which was operating out of West Side Fish & Chicken, as well as vehicles in the surrounding area. In Saleh’s vehicle and the register area of the store, officers found another loaded gun, cash, Percocet, white pills, a blue pill that appeared to be fentanyl and EBT cards for different people, the affidavit said.
EBT is a system for delivering food assistance and other benefits to Tennesseans who qualify, according to the state.