In Texas, the law mandates that individuals must be 21 or older to purchase or possess alcohol or tobacco products. To enforce this, the Longview Police Department’s Police Area Representatives (PAR) unit collaborates with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and local teens to conduct law compliance investigations.
During the summer months from June to August, the Longview Police Department carried out four compliance operations using underage individuals posing as customers. In the tobacco compliance checks, 20 stores were visited, resulting in two incidents of selling tobacco products to individuals under 21. In the alcohol compliance checks, 37 stores were visited, leading to 19 violations where alcohol products were sold to underage individuals.
For each violation, citations were issued or cases were filed with the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office. Due to the pending nature of these cases, specific locations and further details regarding the compliance investigations are not being disclosed at this time.
Community members are encouraged to report any concerns regarding businesses selling tobacco or alcohol to underage consumers by contacting the Longview Police Department.
