Single Mother Faces One Year in Jail for Selling Bowl of Ceviche


When one hears that a woman was arrested for providing an illegal service, the first thing that is likely to come to mind is prostitution or some other unsavory activity. But what police busted a Stockton woman for was nothing so illicit: what she was arrested for selling was ceviche, a dish popular among the Latino population. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten a permit to sell her product, leading to her being hauled in and facing imprisonment like a common criminal:

“Mariza Reulas was cited by San Joaquin County for selling an illegal substance, but it wasn’t a powder, a pill or a plant. It was her bowl of homemade ceviche.

‘It was just like unreal that they were saying you could face up to a year in jail,’ said Reulas.

A few years ago Reulas joined a Facebook group called 209 Food Spot – a forum she says, where people from the Stockton area shared recipes, organized potlucks and occasionally sold what they cooked.

‘Somebody would be like, ‘Oh I don’t have anything to trade you but I would love to buy a plate,’ like they’d be off of work.’

On December 3 of last year, someone contacted Reulas, asking for a plate of her Ceviche –- one of her signature dishes. That person was an undercover investigator from San Joaquin County, according to court documents, on a sting because the majority of 209 Food Spot members didn’t have permits to sell their food.

She, along with about a dozen others, was cited for two misdemeanors for operating a food facility and engaging in business without a permit.”

Source: Fox 40



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