APTOS — Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies cited one business during a Mar. 25 sting operation in Aptos, SCSO Sgt. Dee Baldwin said.
An employee at Aptos Village Liquor sold alcohol and cigarettes to a minor decoy.
The clerk was issued a misdemeanor citation for selling alcohol and tobacco products to a minor, and can also face administrative penalties by having their alcohol and tobacco sales licenses suspended or revoked.
That store was the only one out of 11 businesses in Aptos and Watsonville that were targeted in the operation, Baldwin said.
“The goal of this operation was to limit minors’ access in the community to alcoholic beverages and tobacco products and to confirm that the local businesses are doing their part to prevent access,” Baldwin stated in a press release.
The minor decoys are under 21 years of age and are under the direct supervision of the compliance deputies during the operation. The decoy must answer truthfully about their age and present their true identification upon request by a clerk.
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Cashiers at the following businesses turned the minor decoy away without selling any products:
• Aptos Natural Foods
• Deluxe Foods Aptos
• Rite -Aid Aptos
• Rio Liquors & Market Aptos
• Safeway Aptos
• Safeway Fuel Store Aptos
• Seascape Foods Aptos
• Deer Park Wine & Spirits Aptos
• Pajaro Valley Chevron Inc. Watsonville
• El Patio Grocery Aptos
