In 7 of 50 Tries, Decoys Buy Alcohol at Anaheim Markets

Young women not old enough to legally drink were able to buy alcoholic beverages at seven of 50 Anaheim markets during a recent sting operation, police said.

Last weekend, Anaheim Police Department vice investigators conducted an decoy operation, sending women ages 17 to 19 to neighborhood markets.

Under California law, a person must be at least 21 to buy alcoholic beverages.

With the help of a one-year grant from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Anaheim police will continue to investigate complaints about licensed locations selling alcohol in the city.

Santaye Woldenalian, manager of the Mallul Mini Mart, was one of the clerks ticketed for not asking for identification from a decoy.

“I was busy. I have a customer. I didn’t ask for ID, so the police give me the ticket,” Woldenalian said.

The young woman, dressed in denim and a T-shirt, entered the store and walked to the cooler, where she picked up a six-pack of Budweiser.

Woldenalian said the woman looked older than 21 and he was too busy to remember the identification check.

As soon as the woman left, a police officer returned with the beer and issued Woldenalian a citation to appear at court in December.

When the decoy walked into Manuel Ramirez’s store, Clock Liquor, the assistant manager asked for identification and refused the sale when he saw she was not 21.

Ramirez, who has been in the business for 45 years, said he was prepared. He said he’s been cited only once before, and that was 25 years ago.