Pexels / Isabella Mendes
TABC agents visit hundreds of Texas retailers annually to curb sales of alcohol to minors.
On Wednesday, TABC officials advised bar and nightclub owners, along with alcohol-focused retailers, that the agency is resuming its back-to-school undercover stings.
Around this time every year, agents from TABC’s Enforcement Division conduct inspections at businesses located near Texas colleges and universities to identify minors buying alcohol with fake IDs, including both drivers licenses and school-issued identification.
The statewide operation will start in mid-August and run through early September, according to commission officials. During the stings, minors working with TABC will enter businesses to buy booze. If a sale takes place, agents enter and notify managers of the violation.
Agents also will join security personnel at certain businesses to help screen customers' ID as they enter.
Selling alcohol to a minor is a class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $4,000 plus up to a year in jail. Businesses cited by TABC for selling to minors also may be required to pay a fine and face a temporarily suspension of their license to sell alcohol.
Minors who use a fake ID to purchase alcohol could face a class C misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine up to $500.
For those with an interest in matters of crime and punishment, expect to the TABC to publicize the results of this year’s back-to-school operation in September. Last year's operation found that nearly 90% of the retailers visited were fully complying with state alcohol laws.
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