Attorney General targets those selling cigarettes to minors

The Arizona Attorney General's Office is working with five counties to launch "Counter Strike," an expanded operation aimed at stopping tobacco sales to minors.

The program places newspaper advertisements to warn against selling tobacco to those under 18, uses volunteer youths working undercover to check compliance and runs follow-up ads to call attention to businesses that fail.

It's set to begin this week in Yavapai County and will expand in May to Mohave, Yuma, Pima and Maricopa counties.

Arminda Moldonado, assistant manager for the Chevron at 592 E. 16th St., said she thought the expansion into Yuma was a good idea.

"There (are) a lot of young people smoking and they shouldn't be smoking," she said.

The Attorney General's Office conducts yearly checks to make sure businesses statewide are following tobacco laws. This year, more volunteers from diverse areas of the state have signed up to participate, allowing more compliance checks, said Andrea Esquer, a spokeswoman for the attorney general.

If a clerk asks, undercover youths must reveal their age or present identification.

"A good 35 percent of the time, clerks will look at kids, see the identification and override the age requirement. They'll know the kid is a minor and still sell," said Darryl Rivers, the lead special agent for the Attorney General's Tobacco Enforcement Unit.

Clerks caught selling tobacco to minors face a potential $300 fine, said Kelly Peloquin, assistant attorney for the Arizona Youth Tobacco Program.

"The ticket goes to the individual behind the counter that decided to make the sale, not the store," Peloquin said.

Every year in Arizona, more than 6,000 young people under age 18 become smokers, according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.

----

Sun staff editor Jackie Leatherman contributed to this report. Jackie Leatherman can be reached at jleatherman@yumasun.com or 539-6849.