Alcohol sales rise in Imperial Valley amid COVID-19 pandemic

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KYCA) - When states began implementing the stay-at-home orders, stores across the state saw a surge in alcohol sales.

 Between March 29 and April 4  beer and cider sales were approximately one-fifth higher than what they were last year.

Owner of Pico Market in El Centro, Rocky says that he has seen an increase in sales on all alcohol but the sale of beer and in particular Mexican beer has significantly increased. 

“It’s been a little bit better, a lot of people are taking a lot of thirty packs and big-box beer to Mexicali and alcohol sales have been up.” 

The Mexican government has shut down beer production saying that it is not essential during the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

Beers like Tecate, Modelo, and Pacifico have been selling out. 

Rocky says the biggest problem they’ve encountered is with distributors. 

“I mean we’re running low on product, low on product umm distributors are having a tough time getting the beers but that's about it.” 

Facebook groups have opened up where people are looking and selling beer.

A local store in Mexicali Central Licorera de Mexicali says they haven’t had constellation brand beers in awhile. 

“ Miss its it's been many days since we’ve had that. We only have craft beers.”

Thanks to the commuters 20 percent of the Tijuana population has beer,” said Ricardo Ocampo, a professor of food science at the Technological Institute of Tijuana.

Some are calling this the new black market.