Bluffton food truck owner arrested on federal drug trafficking, conspiracy charges
The owner of a popular Bluffton taco truck has been arrested on federal drug and conspiracy charges.
Isaac Jimenez-Nava, who owns Maiz Taqueria, faces one count of conspiracy and three counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, according to a federal indictment.
Jimenez-Nava, 30, who also went by the nicknames “Migo” and “Primo,” sold at least 500 grams of cocaine, 100 grams of heroin and 40 grams of fentanyl starting in at least 2019, according to the indictment.
Sandy Clark, a co-defendant known as “Candyman” and “Sandyman,” also faces conspiracy charges in the indictment.
Jimenez-Nava’s attorney, Scott Bischoff, was not immediately available for comment Friday. Clark’s attorney, Mark Calhoun, did not return a call for comment.
Jimenez-Nava’s food truck specializes in “authentic Mexican street tacos” that used heirloom corn imported from Oaxaca, according to the company’s Facebook page. The popular taco truck was located around Bluffton, particularly near Old Town.
On Nov. 18, the day of Jimenez-Nava’s arrest, Maiz Taqueria’s Facebook page announced that the company’s two taco trucks — there was another on Hilton Head Island — would be closed until further notice.
A U.S. magistrate judge signed the indictment for both men on Nov. 16, according to court records.
Records show that Jimenez-Nava was booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston on Nov. 19. He was still there as of Friday.
Clark, 43, was arrested on Nov. 30 and released on a $25,000 unsecured bond, according to court records.
Both Jimenez-Nava and Clark have pleaded not guilty.
This marks the second time the taco truck owner has been arrested this year in a large-scale criminal investigation.
In July, at Alljoy Boat Landing in Bluffton, officers with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources arrested Jimenez-Nava along with two other men for the illegal harvest and sale of flounder and other finfish, including tripletail, sheepshead and red drum.
The arrests implicated staff at Hudson’s Seafood House and ELA’s on the Water restaurants on Hilton Head, and Jimenez-Nava’s Maiz Taqueria.
Jimenez-Nava was cited on one count each of unlawful purchase of saltwater fisheries product, having no proper bill of lading and having no wholesale dealer’s license.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 12:42 PM.
