1 Business Sells Alcohol to Minor, 15 Others Refuse

A Buffalo Grove Walgreens employee was charged with selling alcohol to a minor May 16 when police conducted compliance checks at stores throughout the village. Meanwhile, 15 other Buffalo Grove businesses refused to sell to the underage customers.

The effort was part of a countywide program led by the Lake County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force. Law enforcement agencies, including the Buffalo Grove Police Department, worked with local groups and young adults to see if they could purchase alcohol with identification that showed they were under 21.

Kennethraj Kanniah, 43, of the 1100 block of Lockwood, Buffalo Grove, was charged with unlawful sale of alcohol to a minor at Walgreens, 15 N. Buffalo Grove Road.

The employees who denied the underage customers work at Al & Al Liquor, Aldi, Binny’s Beverage Depot, BG Liquors, CVS Pharmacy, all three Dominick’s stores, Osco Drug, Seoul Supermarket, VA Liquors, the village’s other two Walgreens stores, 7-Eleven and Wine Cellar Group.

Ten other Lake County police departments and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department participated in the latest round of checks. In all, 234 businesses were checked and 19 were found in violation.

Sale of alcohol to a person under 21 years of age is illegal under local and state laws and is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, fine or probation. 

“Consistency from community to community and monitoring underage drinking issues will help us be successful in addressing this problem and saving lives. Our desire is to see 100 percent compliance, but it is refreshing to see the majority of businesses realize the seriousness of this issue and did not sell alcohol to the underage participants,” said Bruce Johnson, chairman of the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force.