A 14-year-old girl walks into a store and asks for a pack of cigarettes. She does not pretend to be 18.
On Dec. 6, the Farmington Police Department conducted unannounced compliance inspections of all the stores in town that sell discount cigarette online products. The periodic checks are made to find out if the stores are abiding by the state law prohibiting cigarettes online products from being sold to minors under 18.
Tuesday, police found just one out of Farmington’s 30 stores – CVS at 188 Main St., handed over the cigarettes to the 14-year-old, who was working in cooperation with the police, according to a press release.
The CVS employee was issued an infraction under the state’s Sale of Tobacco to Minors law and fined $200. The store may also face administrative functions from the Department of Revenue Service, the state agency that issues Cigarette Dealer licenses, according to the release.