ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Annapolis Police Department’s Special Investigations Section (SIS), in conjunction with the Special Enforcement Action Team (SEAT), conducted a Tobacco Compliance operation on November 27, 2023. This operation was part of an initiative funded through a grant from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health.
During the operation, a police cadet acted as an underage customer attempting to purchase tobacco or electronic smoking devices from various businesses in Annapolis. The aim was to ensure compliance with the legal age limit of 21 for tobacco sales, as mandated under CR 10-107. Violations of this regulation are arrestable offenses and carry a $300 penalty for the first offense.
Three businesses failed the compliance check:
- Shell gas station at 2006 West Street
- Vitola 121 at 121 Main Street
- Royal Farms at 424 Sixth Street
This marked the second violation in six months for the Royal Farms location, albeit with different clerks involved each time.
Conversely, several businesses passed the compliance check, demonstrating adherence to the legal age requirement for tobacco sales. These included Pinky West Street Liquors, Quick Mart, multiple 7-Eleven locations, Pantry-1, AL Goodies, Main Street Mini Mart, Annapolis Wine & Spirits, Safeway, Chesapeake Pipe & Cigar, Parole Liquors, Gritz Liquors, Forest Drive Liquors, Carroll Fuels, BP, Capitol Liquors, and Chesapeake Market.
The operation highlights the ongoing efforts of the Annapolis Police Department to enforce tobacco sale regulations and protect underage individuals from accessing such products.