CATHEDRAL CITY- On November 20, 2019, California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents and the Cathedral City Police Department Special Operation arrested three individuals for selling alcohol to a minor.  The arrests were the result of a minor decoy operation in which decoys under the age of 21 attempted to purchase alcohol from several retail licensees in Cathedral City.

Claudia Guzman, 27, of Desert Hot Springs, John Sgourmitis, Jr, 57, of Cathedral City and Xavier Oceguda, 19, of Yucca Valley, all working as clerks, were arrested after they sold an alcoholic beverage to a minor. All three were issued notices to appear and were cited and released in the field.

Those who sell alcohol to people under 21 face a minimum fine of $250, and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation.  In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to a minor.

“It only takes a few seconds to check someone’s identification to verify a date of birth,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.   “ABC agents conduct these routine operations to educate and to correct the illegal act of selling alcohol to someone under 21.”