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LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Law enforcement agencies in Lake County participated in a sting operation last week targeting convenience stores illegally selling alcohol or vaping products to children.
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Over two days on December 19 and 20, detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Bureau joined detectives from police departments in Mt. Dora, Eustis, Leesburg and Clermont in using an underage, confidential informant who would attempt to purchase alcohol or vaping materials from convenience stores throughout the county.
Out of the 71 stores they visited, deputies say 29 stores illegally sold products to the underage buyer.
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According to data from the sheriff’s office, the clerks at 66-percent of those 29 stores never asked for identification to verify the informant’s age.
34-percent of the time, deputies say the clerk asked for identification, but still sold alcohol to the informant even though their license clearly identified them as a minor.
In all, 25 people were issued misdemeanor summons to appear in court.
Three people, 29-year-old Shekhar Kumar, 32-year-old Helal Uddin, and 26-year-old Vishal Patel, were arrested on the spot and charged with sale of alcoholic beverages to a person under 21 years of age, a second-degree misdemeanor.
One other person received a warning.
According to the sheriff’s office, one of the 29 people caught in the sting was also caught selling a vape to an undercover informant during a similar operation back in March.
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