Three Stores Busted in Tobacco Sting

Source from:  eastbayri.com January 15, 2008 01/16/2008

Three stores paid $250 fines after they were caught in a sting run by Warren Police to catch establishments selling tobacco products to children without proper identification. The three stores are Super Mart at 747 Main St., operated by Al Youssef; Valero DB Mart at 625 Metacom Ave., operated by Mohammed Rashid; and Salem's Gas on Main Street, operated by Nafez H. Salem. Warren Police Detective Sgt. Roy Borges said representatives from all three stores pleaded no contest on Friday to charges of selling tobacco products to minors in Sixth District Division Court. They were fined $250 each for being first-time offenders, Sgt. Borges said. According to a press release from Warren Police Chief Thomas Gordon, they started the sting after receiving several anonymous tips over the past few months about underage sales at various stores. As part of the sting, Sgt. Borges electronically monitored a 17-year-old who tried to buy a pack of Marlboro cigarettes at eight local stores. Three of these stores sold to the minor without asking for identification. At the other five stories, the clerk asked for identification and then refused to sell to the teenager. Chief Gordon said additional surveys would be conducted later in the year. Enditem