The owner of Mi Pueblo, a local chain of Mexican bakery markets, has been charged with selling liquor without a license, a felony.

Esidoro Nieto Jr., 35, charged last week, was ordered Thursday to be booked at the Twin Falls County Jail.

In August, Twin Falls Police searched the store at 449 Washington St. on a warrant and seized 23 bottles of alleged illegal distilled spirits. Twenty of the bottles alleged to be sugar cane alcohol were taken by police and labeled "Michoacan" and three were called "Ario," 5th District Court records show.

Police said they tested to be 194 and 192 proof, or 96 percent and 97 percent alcohol. The bottles were one liter and were being sold for $22.79 in the cooking section of the Twin Falls store, court records show.

Nieto said he didn't think he was doing anything illegal after police seized his merchandise in August. "If I knew it was something I wasn't supposed to sell, wouldn't I hide it?" he said. "I didn't know it was illegal."

He said customers used the alcohol for cooking egg nog and fruit punch. He said some also use it for rubbing alcohol.

Mi Pueblo in Twin Falls in August had a license to sell beer and wine, not hard alcohol, and an employee at the Twin Falls location was cited in the last year for selling alcohol to a minor, Twin Falls Police have said.

Local, state and federal authorities said illegal Mexican alcohol sales without licenses are rare.

Nieto has a preliminary hearing set for Nov. 7.

Andrea Jackson may be reached at 208-735-3380 or ajackson@magicvalley.com.