Cary operation prevents sale of alcohol to minors

A Kangaroo Express on Tryon Road got caught up in Operation Blackjack, which focuses on stopping underage drinking and getting businesses to follow the law. Officers said a clerk at the convenience store sold a bottle of beer to a volunteer teen working with the Cary police.

One of the other locations that officers and volunteer teens hit was a Food Lion in the Swift Creek Shopping Center. The volunteer teen walked in and tried to purchase alcohol, but walked out empty handed. The cashier carded the teen and refused to sell her alcohol.

“We just want to make sure we’re educating our public,” said Lt. Tracey Barker.

The goal of Operation Blackjack is to stop businesses from selling alcohol to minors, but Barker said not everybody is getting the message.

“We had one location that we went to tonight, our volunteer went in with an undercover officer and they actually made a purchase of a single beer. The clerk actually did look at the ID and then still sold,” he said.

Barker said that officers visited 27 locations around Cary, including grocery and convenience stores. He said six citations were issued to clerks for selling alcohol to minors, which is the same amount as last year.

Those cited face a $250 fine and 25 hours of community service.