A local convenience store near Perkins in southeast Memphis was fined by the police department for selling tobacco to minors. An underage customer walked into M & M Express and asked to purchase a pack of cigarettes.
The customer, who was able to buy the tobacco without being asked for identification, took the action to help the police catch employees breaking the laws against selling teenager tobacco and alcohol. After the purchaser left the store, the Memphis Police Department immediately moved in and advised the store clerk that they had been part of an investigation being carried out by the Project Safe Neighborhood unit.
Though no arrests were made in the incident, the store was fined, and is expected to pay the fine. This was not the first time that someone in the neighborhood convenience store has been caught selling tobacco to underage customers. The store was also fined a few years ago, when another employee, who was subsequently terminated, committed the same offense. In the state of Tennessee, a person who is caught selling tobacco to any person under 18 years of age can be fined up to $2,500 for each offense.
After the third offense, the person may be banned for selling tobacco to anyone for up to five years after their conviction date. It is also the responsibility of store owners to educate their employees on the consequences of selling tobacco to minors, and explain the forms of identification that are acceptable when someone wishes to purchase tobacco products.
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