Five Newtown Retailers Fail Undercover Police Inspections

NEWTOWN, CT — State and local law enforcement agencies made an undercover sweep of 19 Newtown retailers this week to see if they would sell tobacco and electronic cigarettes to a minor.

On Tuesday, the Newtown PD, working with the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement Program (TPEP) conducted unannounced compliance inspections of the establishments in Newtown that offer tobacco and electronic-cigarette items for sale.

TPEP employed a minor to enter the stores and attempt to purchase tobacco and/or e-cigarette products without offering any ID. Of the 19 stores in the sweep, five sold tobacco or e-cigarette products to the underage agent.

The offending clerks were issued infractions for either sale of tobacco to a minor or sale of e-cigarette product to a minor. Both carry a first time penalty fine of $200. In addition, non-compliant tobacco retailers are referred to the Dept. of Revenue Services for possible administrative sanctions.

The following retailers were found to be non-compliant:

• Bottle Stop Wine & Spirits (5 Queen St.)
• Dodgingtown Market & Deli (57 Dodgingtown Rd.)
• Sugar Hill, LLC – Gulf (153 Sugar St.)
• Fairgrounds Wine & Spirits (228 S. Main St.)
• Walgreens (49 S. Main St.)

The following retailers passed their tests:

• Yankee Wine & Spirits (6 Queen St.)
• Big Y (6 Queen St.)
• Newtown Convenience (22 Church Hill Rd.)
• Caraluzzi’s (5 Queen St.)
• Newtown Mobil (62 Church Hill Rd.)
• Nick’s Chilled & Distilled (102 Church Hill Rd.)
• Wheels 67 (67 Church Hill Rd.)
• Hawleyville Wine & Liquor (23 Barnabas Rd.)
• Taunton Wine & Liquor (147 Mt. Pleasant Rd.)
• Dodgingtown Liquor (57 Dodgingtown Rd.)
• Stop & Shop (228 S. Main St.)
• Brand Cigars (266 S. Main St.)
• Cork N Barrel (266 S. Main St.)
• Citgo (151 S. Main St.)