Man stuffs 26 cigarette cartons down pants, flees store

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Cumberland County sheriff’s detectives are searching for a man who stuffed 26 cartons of cigarettes down his pants and fled from the Lake Lynn Short Stop on May 19.

Investigators say the man entered the store at 3563 Gillespie St. around 1:15 p.m. He made his way to the manager’s office while she assisted other customers and took that opportunity to take more than $1,500 worth of tobacco.

Surveillance video shows the sman stuffing Newport cigarettes down a baggy pair of blue jeans he was wearing and walking out of the store. He left the scene in an unknown direction.

The man is black, in his mid to early 30s with a receding hairline. He is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a tank top with a yellow shirt draped around his neck and shoulders.