Speedway Near Elmhurst Cited for Selling Tobacco to Underage Teens

Sheriff John Zaruba announced Monday that after three rounds of tobacco compliance checks at 38 retail outlets in unincorporated DuPage County, three businesses have been cited for selling tobacco to minors under 18.

County Sheriff’s deputies visited these stores alongside underage teens in their ongoing effort to reduce the access that children have to tobacco in the retail environment, the sheriff’s office explained in a release.

Walgreens on Kingery Highway near Hinsdale and Darien was one of the stores cited, the office announced. It, as well as a Walmart on Route 53 in Glen Ellyn, were written up on Nov. 4. A Speedway on North Avenue in Lombard was cited on Nov. 21.

Consequences can get higher than these citations, with the possibility of a $200 fine for selling tobacco to underage teenagers at stake.

These compliance check rounds are financed by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, which insists that under the terms of its grant, the sheriff’s office must also educate retailers about the legalities of tobacco sales.

“I am pleased with the level of compliance achieved during this first round of tobacco compliance checks,” Zaruba said in the release. “However, our goal is always 100 percent compliance. We will continue to educate retailers and their staffs of the laws in an effort to reduce our children’s access to tobacco products.”

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