Sting targets tobacco sales to minors

Orange County Pct. 2 Constable Jeremiah Gunter organized what he coined as “a vape or e-cigarette sting operation” on Sept. 7, utilizing a “cooperating minor“ to solicit convenience stores and vape shops in Mauriceville and Vidor to purchase nicotine products, according to a press release.

“This operation was started because of the growing pandemic surrounding these nicotine products in and out of the schools and the easiness for our minors to purchase these products,” officials reported in a joint statement issued by Gunter and Pct. 4 Constable Matt Ortego, who assisted in the sting operation, along with Deputy Constable Marcelo Molfino.

According to Gunter and Ortego, the minor entered several locations to attempt to purchase nicotine products.

Out of six locations in Mauriceville, the law enforcement officers noted, five locations made a sale.

“Two of those locations even checked the minor’s driver’s license and still made the sale,” according to the press release.

Additionally, during the sting operation, the constables detailed, one Vidor store completed a sale of a vape product believed to be an illegal substance.

“While conducting the operation on the second location, Smoker’s Club in Vidor, the clerk showed and displayed an illegal substance, THC wax, to the (undercover) minor,” the constables reported. After the minor left the store, Gunter reportedly entered the store and confronted the clerk regarding the clerk’s conversation with the minor. Subsequently, Gunter seized an amount of what he believed to be THC wax.

“THC wax is a strong, purer derivative of marijuana,” information from the seizure explained.

The situation at the Smoker’s Club continued to deteriorate, however; as, “While speaking with the clerk, Gunter located a small box under the counter with an amount of US currency.”

According to the clerk’s recitation of what the money was, “The clerk made the statement to Constable Gunter, Ortego and Molfino that the money was used to make payments to the gambling machines,” the official narrative detailed, adding that the business had five operating 8-liner machines. “While continuing the investigation, further action taken was the seizure of the gambling machine computer boards and money associated with the gambling operation.”

Each clerk that completed a sale to the undercover minor received a citation for the sale, according to Gunter and Ortego.

As of Sept. 8, Smoker’s Club was still open to the public, according to a social media post from the business’ account, which captioned the evening news coverage of the location’s closure with: “False news reporting, we are open.”