An undercover operation in Hoboken earlier this week resulted in 10 liquor stores being charged with selling to underage minors. The investigation — which featured plainclothes officers who are under the legal drinking age — looked at 12 local liquor stores. Of the 12 inspected, 10 racked up citations for selling to minors.
“We began doing surveillance to see if these were valid complaints and it looked like it was possible,” Police Chief Ken Ferrante said. “So we thought the best way to attack this kind of complaint is to send in undercovers.”
The investigation came in the wake of complaints from city residents, and Hoboken’s ongoing effort to crack down on public intoxication citations.
Undercover officers from Jersey City PD visited 12 liquor stores in Hoboken, attempting to buy alcohol. Only two of the shops visited requested ID. Among those stores charged from the sting include:
Village Market at 702 Washington St.
Cork Wine & Spirits at 1450 Washington St.
Blue Ribbon at 450 1st St.
Daniel Liquors at 87 Garden St.
Ottomanellis at 422 Monroe St.
Hoboken Discount Liquors at 98 Willow Ave.
Augie’s Liquors at 419 Adams St.
Sasso’s Deli at 1038 Garden St.
Hoboken Vine at 400 Newark St.
Yash Liquors at 1004 Washington St.
Hoboken has long dealt with alcohol-related issues, especially when it comes to the bar scene. Just last year, the HUB Hoboken was investigated {and eventually shut down} after lewd videos depicting public sexual acts were posted during an Instagram celebrity’s appearance at the downtown bar. Additionally, a little over a month ago, 10 people were arrested and eight city ordinance violations were issued during the annual Hoboken SantaCon pub crawl.
While it’s long been a goal of law enforcement to clean up Hoboken’s alcohol-related act, Police Chief Ferrante says he never could have imagined that liquor stores voluntarily selling alcohol to underage kids was part of the problem.
See More: The Best Wine Stores in Hoboken, Jersey City + Bayonne
“‘We said, ‘Let’s see if we have a liquor store problem,'” Ferrante explained. “And to get 10 out of 12 on the first night out, that’s pretty alarming. We know we have to be aggressive to make sure that’s stopping.”
The liquor store investigation is just the latest in Hoboken’s string of undercover operations. In an effort to also crack down on the city’s more recent pedestrian safety initiative, plainclothes officers have often taken to the streets as decoys to observe and ticket traffic. Both drivers of vehicles {who don’t stop for the plainclothes cops in crosswalks} and cyclists {who don’t stop for stop signs} have been ticketed heavily in the past couple of weeks.
See More: Your Guide to Riding a Bike in Hoboken + Jersey City
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