A convenience store that police say was used to run drugs in North Portland is back open — under new management. Neighbors hope the new shopkeepers will help tame the troubled corner.
The Stop N Go Mini Mart, whose last operator is facing criminal drug-dealing charges, is now under the auspices of the Thapa family. State records show the family is based in Wilsonville and owns liquor stores and convenience stores all around the Portland metropolitan area.
The family — doing business as 365 Williams Inc. — took the reins as recently as April 7, records show. That is about a month after the Portland Police Bureau arrested the prior store runner, who is now facing multiple drug-dealing charges.
Neighbors are counseling the new operators that they have a tough job ahead of them. For years, community members have called the store a magnet for drug dealing and sex trafficking…