BATON ROUGE – When deputies received a tip that the owner of a Baton Rouge grocery store was purchasing stolen bottles of liquor, undercover detectives with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office planned a sting that lasted from Nov. 22 until Dec. 9.

According to a police report, as undercover officers presented 58-year-old Lou M. Chau with liquor they'd identified as stolen, Chau purchased the bottles and resold them in his store, Linda Food Mart.

Police say this was not an isolated incident, as Chau purchased ‘stolen’ liquor from undercover officers on several occasions throughout their operation.

The sting came to a close on Dec. 9, when Chau was arrested and taken to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office for questioning where detectives say he admitted to purchasing stolen liquor.

According to a police report, Chau told detectives when someone brought him liquor from 'off the streets,' he would pay them 50% of its value and then sell it in his store at full price.

Chau was charged with organized retail theft and money laundering.