Tulsa Business Owner Investigated For Selling Diseased Meat

A specialty grocer is in the Tulsa County jail accused of selling tainted meat. State investigators raided his market and restaurant and now he faces felony charges. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Scott

Thursday, June 29th 2006, 9:55 am

By: News On 6

A specialty grocer is in the Tulsa County jail accused of selling tainted meat. State investigators raided his market and restaurant and now he faces felony charges.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson says investigators from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry say they've been putting a case against Tariq Mahmood together for almost a year.

His Khyber International Pakistani Restaurant and Grocery at 36th and Sheridan is locked up. Agriculture inspectors shut it down after they raided the store Wednesday. They say they were first tipped off when a meat inspector found Mahmood was selling meat that hadn't passed inspection.

In the months that followed, investigators say they found Mahmood would go to livestock auctions and buy diseased animals. Several butcher shops tell the News on 6, Mahmood would bring the animals to have them butchered.

The state Agricultural Department says sometimes, he'd even butcher the animals himself and sell the meat in his store. But inspectors say they didn't find any tainted meat during Wednesday's raid. Jack Carson with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry: "the store was in compliance with the laws. We feel like he knew this was coming, and he had everything in order yesterday."

The News on 6 talked to two stockyards where Mahmood bought animals. They told us he had always been a frequent customer up until 6 months ago, when they think he figured out he was being investigated.

The state Agricultural Department says it seems no one has gotten sick from eating the diseased meat. Still, Mahmood is facing 6 criminal charges.