January 19, 2022 Vol. 3

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The National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA) is a non-profit association

of law enforcement personnel dedicated to the enforcement of liquor laws and regulations.

NC-Robeson Area Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force nets multiple drug, gun charges in Lumberton operation

The Robeson Area Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force made multiple gun and drug arrests during a recent operation in Lumberton.

The Task Force is comprised of the Lumberton, Red Springs, Maxton, Pembroke, Rowland, St. Pauls, and Hope Mills police departments, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, and the United States Department of Homeland Security. The Task Force made multiple arrests during an operation conducted in Lumberton on Friday, according to a press release by the St. Pauls Police Department.

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MD-Fourteen Businesses in St. Mary’s County Pass Alcohol Compliance Checks – Two Fail

On Friday afternoon, Jan. 14, 2022, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit conducted a series of covert compliance checks at local businesses, using an underage individual.

The underage individual entered the businesses without identification and attempted to purchase alcoholic beverages.

During this covert compliance check operation, the Alcohol Enforcement Unit visited 16 businesses in St. Mary’s County. Fourteen of the stores were compliant, requiring identification from the underage individual and did not complete the sale. Two of the businesses were negligent in their responsibilities, did not ask for identification and sold alcoholic beverages to the underage person.

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TX-TABC Issues Emergency Order Suspending El Tucanazo’s Liquor Permit for 30 Days Following Deadly Jan. 8 Shooting

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has issued an emergency order suspending the liquor permit of a Houston-area bar for 30 days following a deadly shooting that left one person dead early Jan 8. Section 11.614 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code authorizes TABC to suspend a business’ liquor license or permit for up to 90 days if it’s believed that continued operation of the business could prove a risk to public safety. During the suspension, no alcohol may be served or sold at the location.

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Empty bottles of premium whisky on ebay snapped up by counterfeiters

Used whisky bottles are summoning princely prices on selling sites, as criminals buy and refill with budget spirits before passing them off as the real deal. Empty whisky bottles of premium brands such as Pappy Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald and Macallan are fetching up to US$380 for a single bottle on selling sites such as ebay. Why? “Because that bottle can be refilled and sold for way over US$2,000,” said Hertz, film producer and one of the contributors to 2021 documentary Inside Edition.

The Drinks Business reported last year that reselling your empty gin bottles could make you as much as 31% profit on the original price paid for the gin, with brands like Mermaid Pink Gin and Gordon’s London Dry proving the most lucrative. But it’s worth asking yourself who is buying them at the other end, and for what purpose?

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Virginia Delegate Files Bill To Abolish State-Run Liquor Stores

Nick Freitas — a member of the Virginia House of Delegates — filed a bill to abolish Virginia’s government-run system of liquor stores.

HB 328 — filed on Tuesday by the Republican lawmaker — would require the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority to “dispose of all real estate used as government stores and to terminate leased property upon which the Board has operated a government store.”

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Michigan Gaming Control Board and Liquor Control Commission partner to educate public, remove unregulated machines used for illegal gaming

The Michigan Gaming Control Board and Michigan Liquor Control Commission will conduct a statewide public education and enforcement initiative in 2022 to encourage businesses to remove unregulated machines used for illegal gaming.

"Illegal gambling can lead to other, more serious crimes that compromise safety in Michigan communities," said Henry Williams, MGCB executive director. "Citizens who use these unregulated machines also have little recourse if they feel cheated. They can't file a formal dispute with an unregulated operator and ask our agency to review the outcome as they can when participating in licensed, legal gaming."

Working together, the two state agencies hope better knowledge about illegal gambling coupled with heightened awareness of its consequences will curb illegal gambling in Michigan.

"Liquor licensees who allow illegal gambling and who fail to remove gambling devices used for illegal gaming from their businesses can face violations from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission," said MLCC Chair Pat Gagliardi. "Illegal gambling is considered a serious violation by the Commission, and the penalties from a violation can include fines, suspension or revocation of a liquor license. Liquor licensees are encouraged to utilize only legal forms of gambling to stay compliant with the Commission's laws and rules." 

The state agencies will share information with businesses and the general public about what is legal in Michigan. They hope to counteract misleading information the public and businesses receive about unregulated machines used for illegal gaming. The misleading information often comes from machine and software suppliers.

Michigan law broadly prohibits any kind of gambling unless specifically authorized under state law such as gambling machines operated within licensed casinos.

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How C-stores Are Raising the Bar in Alcoholic Beverages

While hard seltzers, beer and RTD malt beverages have been getting much buzz during the pandemic, wine and liquor have proven resilient in the convenience channel. According to the 2021 Convenience Store News Industry Report, average sales per store in the category increased by 32 percent in 2020. Wine and liquor’s share of overall in-store sales at U.S. convenience stores rose from 1.55 percent in 2019 to 1.97 percent in 2020.

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California approves DTC spirit shipping bill

The SB 620 bill was passed by the California Senate Committee on 11 January and will now head to the state’s Committee on Appropriations. Wineries in the state have been allowed to ship their products directly to consumers for more than 30 years.

In March 2020, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) allowed distillers to temporarily ship directly to consumers due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The measure was set to expire on 1 January 2022.

However, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) emergency relief measure was extended for distillers at the end of 2021 to 31 March this year.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) and the California Artisanal Distillers Guild (CADG) testified before the committee.

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Report: Alcohol-related deaths in Wisconsin rose 25% in 2020

Alcohol-related deaths in Wisconsin rose almost 25% in 2020, according to a report released Thursday.

Data compiled by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum shows 1,077 Wisconsin residents died of alcohol-related causes in 2020, up from 865 in 2019. The data was compiled from U.S. residents’ death certificates.

The report uses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s definition of alcohol-related deaths to mean deaths directly attributed to excessive drinking such as alcohol poisoning and liver disease. The definition does not include deaths caused by drunken driving or alcohol-fueled violence.

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If you have Alcohol Law Enforcement news to share please send it to Carrie Christofes, Executive Director carrie.christofes@nllea.org

2021-22 NLLEA Board Members:

Todd Merlina, President - PA - tmerlina@pa.gov

Thomas Kirby, Vice President - VA - thomas.kirby@virginiaabc.com

Israel Morrow, Secretary/Treasurer - NC - israel.morrow@ncdps.gov

Jim Diana, Sergeant at Arms - DE -james.diana@delaware.gov

John Yeomans, President - DE - john.yeomans@delaware.gov

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