Cops: Greenport clerk faces deportation after illegal beer sale

A clerk who police said illegally sold beer to some underage kids at a Greenport convenience store Tuesday night found himself with a bigger problem than selling alcohol to minors.

Southold Town police said Arslan Karagoz, 39, of Walnut Place, Mattituck, had an outstanding warrant of deportation issued by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs - and was being held pending the start of deportation procedures.

It was not immediately clear to which country immigration officials were attempting to deport Karagoz or the reason for the warrant.

Police said the alleged illegal alcohol sale took place at the Mr. Roberts Convenience Store on Third Street in Greenport Tuesday at about 8:30 p.m. Police said officers on patrol "observed a group of what appeared to be underage youths" leaving the store with "several packages" of beer.

The officers stopped the youths and found out everyone in the group was under 21. They discovered that Karagoz sold the beer to the youths and arrested him for selling alcohol to a minor. At headquarters, officers learned about the outstanding warrant.