“We can all do our part to keep people safe by not furnishing alcohol to those under 21.  These operations work to educated the public, enforce the law, and keep us safer out on the roads and in our communities.”

– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

MONTEREY COUNTY – In a unique set of circumstances, a store clerk and a 19-year-old customer were cited during a shoulder tap operation in Monterey County.  During the operation, which was conducted by California ABC agents and Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies, the 19-year-old agreed to purchase alcohol for an underage decoy who asked the man to buy alcohol because the decoy was not yet 21 and therefore could not legally buy the alcohol themselves.

When the 19-year-old exited the store and provided the alcohol to the underage decoy, he was contacted by agents and deputies and issued a citation for providing alcohol to the minor. When it was discovered the man was only 19 years old and had purchased the alcohol without presenting identification to the clerk, the clerk was then issued a citation for sales of alcohol to a person under 21.

Later that same day, a 37-year-old purchased and provided alcohol to the minor decoy.  He, also, was issued a citation for furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto stated, “We are grateful to ABC which provides the grant funding for these operations that help keep alcohol out of our youth’s hands. We want everyone to know about these shoulder tap operations and think twice before having any thoughts of irresponsibly purchasing alcohol for anyone under the age of 21. We have a collaborative responsibility to protect our youth.”

Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers. About 25 percent of fatal crashes involve underage drinking according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).