Council suspends liquor permit process for United Liquor after police cite unsanitary conditions; owners given remediation requirements

The Shreveport City Council on Tuesday heard police testimony describing unsanitary conditions at United Liquor, 800 Pier Avenue, and moved to suspend liquor-permit renewal procedures while the owner meets remediation requirements and the police and health officials re-inspect the premises.

Detective Corporal Carlos Bradley told the council that a city inspection on Dec. 3, 2024, found what he described as drug-paraphernalia packaging and glass pipes hidden under the counter, a strong unpleasant odor, flying gnats, a large dirty trash can next to the store—s ice maker, a blocked bathroom, visible black mold on cooler doors, sticky and moldy interior surfaces and trash scattered through a walk-in cooler. Bradley said the owner was told to correct the issues; the owner later sought reinspection but the department had already sent a suspension letter and the permit was due to expire on Dec. 31.

Bradley said he performed a reinspection before the council hearing and observed unresolved issues, including pictures he presented that he said showed rodent remains and other unsanitary conditions. Bradley said he did not find narcotics on premises but that the presence of paraphernalia and the sanitary conditions violated Chapter 10-102 of the city—s code (which requires permit holders to keep premises clean and sanitary).

Attorney Ron Mashota, representing owner Mr. Hussain, said the store has operated since 1999 without prior alcohol-related enforcement and that the owner and counsel had been working to clean the premises; Mashota offered photographs he said show improvements and asked the council for time. The owner acknowledged some issues and said the items cited are legal products sold by other retailers (the owner described certain glass pieces as —oil burners— and small plastic bags as general packaging or jewelry bags) and said he would address the problems.

Council members and city attorneys discussed jurisdictional overlap with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) for food-safety matters; council members asked staff to request an LDH inspection as part of the follow-up. Detective Bradley said the police were prepared to issue summonses for unsanitary conditions and that denial of a permit was the remedy under the ordinance if the violations were not corrected.

The council adopted a motion (moved by the chair and seconded) to suspend liquor-permit renewal action while the owner provides remediation documentation and to require specific follow-up: monthly inspections/photographs to be shared with the council (the owner—s counsel offered to facilitate monthly checks), a pest-control contract and monthly pest-control reports, a professional mold assessment/remediation report, proof of removal of any paraphernalia or inventory that could be misused, and an LDH inspection. The council specified a follow-up review date of May 12 for the permit status and said it will re-evaluate whether the liquor permit should be reinstated after the required documentation and inspections are submitted and verified.

The council recorded the concerns in the public record and required the owner to meet the remediation conditions and demonstrate sustained compliance before the permit renewal process will proceed. The permit status was not permanently revoked at that hearing; the council will revisit the matter after evidentiary follow-up.