Five Davis clerks cited for selling tobacco to minors after large undercover operation

Yolo County District Attorney’s Office investigators launched a large undercover decoy operation in Davis this weekend, resulting in citations for five businesses that sold tobacco to minors.

Officials conducted 27 undercover stings, in which a minor attempted to buy tobacco in the view of an investigator, according to a news release issued by the district attorney’s office.

Clerks that made the sale to the minor were issued a citation and the business was referred to the Yolo County Health Department for administrative action, including fines, according to the release.

Five people were cited over the course of the weekend, according to the release.

Those who received citations may be able to participate in Neighborhood Court, a collaborative restorative justice program.

“Rather than only trying to ‘catch’ a business violating the law by selling tobacco products to underage customers, the District Attorney and Health Department offer a balanced approach focused on compliance,” the release said.

Officials also visit businesses to educate staff about compliance issues and point out areas where correction is required, according to the release.

“We have a long-standing partnership with the Health Department to try to enhance the health of our community,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said in a prepared statement. “These efforts are an important opportunity to educate our youth about healthy choices, but also serve as opportunity to help the business community understand their role and responsibility in the health of our youth.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2019 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Five Davis clerks cited for selling tobacco to minors after large undercover operation."