Maricopa County warns public about unlicensed street vendors

The Brief

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Maricopa County has seized more than 7,000 pounds of what they say is unsafe meat in a recent crackdown on unlicensed street vendors .

What we know:

The county's Environmental Services Department says it has received more than 100 complaints in the past three months from customers who became sick after eating at pop-up taco stands across the Valley.

Officials believe 20 to 30 of these stands, many of which came from California last year, are operating without permits.

According to Andy Linton, the county's Environmental Services director, the vendors are difficult to stop as they simply move to a new location after being caught.

A distinguishing feature of the stands is a vertical rotisserie with a spit of meat, typically for al pastor tac