Four cited in Merced police alcohol sting

Merced police cited four people for furnishing alcohol to minors, authorities said.

Officers conducted a “shoulder-tap” operation Thursday, the department said in a news release.

“The purpose of the sting operation was to cite adults for furnishing alcohol to minors. Under the direct supervision of the officers, minor decoys stood outside four local businesses that are licensed to sell alcohol and asked adults entering the stores to purchase alcohol for them,” officers said in the statement.

The minors approached six adults and asked them to buy alcohol. Four adults bought alcohol and were cited, police said.

Those cited were by police were: Justin Parr, 25, Vincent Galindo Jr., 27, Ira Whitman, 28, and George Ferreira, 33.

Funding for the program was provided by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Four cited in Merced police alcohol sting."