Oxnard Police Department – Incident Press Release
The Oxnard Police Department cited four clerks for selling tobacco products to minors between March 28, 2019 and April 11, 2019. The actions were the result of a youth decoy program in which minors, under the direct supervision of officers, attempted to purchase tobacco products from 30 tobacco retail licensees in the City of Oxnard. Partnered with the California Tax and Fees Administration, the goal of these operations is to limit youth access to tobacco products and confirm that local businesses are operating in compliance with the law. The following establishments were cited for selling tobacco products to minors:
- 4 Way Meat Market, 508 E. Date St
- Harbor Mart, 2810 S. Harbor Blvd
- JK Smoke Shop, 3716 Saviers Road
- Spirit Smoke Shop, 2136 Saviers Road
The Oxnard Police Department will continue to conduct periodic compliance checks to reduce the availability of tobacco products to our youth. Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980’s. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.
This project is part of the State of California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program, funded by the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016.