Crime & Safety
Sting Operation Targets Coachella Retailers That Sell Tobacco Products
A 20-year-old decoy went to local businesses and attempted to buy tobacco products, the sheriff's department reported. Here's what happened.
COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A sting operation last week in the Coachella designed to ensure retailers don't sell tobacco products to young people under 21 years of age netted zero citations.
The operation was conducted March 10 by Riverside County deputies who serve on the Coachella Community Action Team.
The team used a 20-year-old decoy who went to local businesses and attempted to buy tobacco products, the sheriff's department reported.
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"Of the 21 businesses visited, all were in compliance with state law and the decoy was unable to purchase tobacco products," according to the department.
The sting was funded by a grant that the city of Coachella received in 2022, the department reported.
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