SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department conducted a minor decoy operation on Thursday, February 16 targeting alcohol retail shops. As part of the operation, supervised individuals under the age of 20 were asked to purchase alcohol at licensed shops.
As per the law, licensed shops are not allowed to sell alcohol to individuals under 21 years of age. The supervised individuals visited five licensed alcohol retail shops in Santa Monica. One of the five shops visited violated the law and sold alcohol to the supervised individuals.
“The minor decoy was furnished alcohol at Cabo Cantina-1240 3rd Street Promenade,” said Lt. Saul Rodriguez of the SMPD in a press release. “The violator was issued a citation for 25658(a) Business & Professions Code – Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor.”
Four other retail shops found that the individuals were under 21 after viewing their identification documents and refused to sell alcohol. The four shops that refused to sell alcohol were Bar Chloe at 1449 2nd Street; Stout at 111 Santa Monica Blvd.; Barney’s Beanery at 1351 Santa Monica Blvd.; and Plan Check at 1401 Ocean Avenue.
The Minor Decoy Program has proven to be an effective tool in promoting responsible practices in the sales of alcoholic beverages by licensees, limiting substance abuse and enhancing community welfare by preventing underage individuals from accessing alcohol.
The project, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project.
