Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Four Businesses Caught In Underage Alcohol/Tobacco Sting

OKEECHOBEE, FL -- Four Okeechobee business employees were issued summons Monday for selling alcohol or tobacco to an underage person as part of an Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force sting operation.

Alcohol compliance checks were conducted at multiple establishments, where an underage person was sent into stores with instructions to attempt to purchase alcohol or tobacco products.

People who sold were issued summons to appear in court and citations were issued by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office.

Businesses where alcohol was sold to an underage person were: Dollar General, Hwy. 70 West; LaFiesta, 1774 Hwy. 70 West; and Town Star, Hwy. 98/Hwy.70 West.

The business where tobacco was sold to an underage person was: Sunoco, S. Parrott Avenue.

Sheriff Paul May said of the operation, “We do these alcohol compliance checks periodically to make sure the merchants, who sell alcohol and tobacco, check I.D.’s if there’s any chance the buyer is under age.

The vast majority of places we checked did ask for I.D. and refused to sell to minors and we thank these merchants for doing their part. I’m sure the four merchants that we cited will ask for I.D. in the future and that is all we ask.

Together with the parents, merchants and the Sheriff’s Office working together, hopefully we can keep alcohol and tobacco use by minors to a minimum. We will continue to conduct these operations from time to time.”

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