Here are the businesses in Merced caught selling alcohol to minors, police say

A Merced hotel and a drug store sold alcohol to minors involved in a law enforcement sting, Merced police said Wednesday.

The Courtyard Marriott Hotel on Motel Drive and CVS Pharmacy on Yosemite Parkway sold alcohol to a minor, police said. Those who sell alcohol to minors may receive a fine, a suspension of their liquor license, the permanent revocation of the license or all of the above, according to police.

Officers with the Merced Police Department held a sting operation involving minors on June 15, an effort to ensure that businesses do not sell alcohol to underage customers.

The businesses that did not sell alcohol to the decoys included five on Yosemite Parkway: Fastmart, Rancho San Miguel, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, U Save Liquors and Handistop 2, according to police.

Mi Casa on East Childs Avenue also turned the minors away.

Minor decoy efforts have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980s, according to police. When the program first began, 40 percent to 50 percent of retailers sold to minors. When decoy efforts are carried out on a routine basis, the rate has dropped in some cities to as low as 10 percent, police said.

In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that underage decoys could be used by law enforcement to ensure liquor license-holders are complying with the law, according to police.

Funding for this program was provided by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Along with four officers from the Merced Police Department, two agents from ABC assisted with the sting operation, police said.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Here are the businesses in Merced caught selling alcohol to minors, police say."