The owner of a Kamloops liquor store has been fined $9,000 after selling booze to a teenager working as an undercover agent for the provincial government.
The sting was carried out at McCracken Station liquor store on Nov. 5, when the undercover teen bought a six pack of Twisted Tea.
“At no point did the store clerk ask the minor agent her age or for identification,” reads a Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch decision dated last week.
The store’s manager told investigators the clerk who sold the liquor to the teen was new, having been hired about a week before the sting. Her first solo shift was the previous day.
The clerk lied to the manager about having her Serving it Right certification. It was the manager’s responsibility to make sure all employees are properly certified.
The provincial government has a program in which teens between 16 and 18 are hired to go undercover in sting operations at liquor stores. The operations are typically carried out in response to complaints or tips.
McCracken Station owner Paul Vinepal avoided a fine following a similar incident in 2017, when another undercover teen agent successfully purchased booze from the store.
The manager said the clerk, who was certified for Serving it Right the day after the sting, was “shaken up” following the November bust and began asking for ID from anyone who appeared to be younger than 50.
In addition to the fine, signs will be posted at the Valleyview Drive store letting customers know about the contravention.
