3 of 48 merchants failed Linn County Sheriff’s Office’s underage tobacco compliance check

Three Linn County businesses sold tobacco products to minors in a recent undercover operation, according to the sheriff's office.

On Thursday, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division's Iowa Pledge program, conducted tobacco compliance checks at 48 Linn County merchants using an underage undercover purchaser.

According to a news release from the sheriff's office, of the retailers checked, which excluded the Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha metro areas, three violated Iowa's tobacco laws by selling cigarettes or tobacco products to an underage person.

Those retailers were:

- Hy-Vee Drug Store at 2790 Seventh Ave. in Marion

- Dollar General at 1135 East Post Road in Marion

- Dollar General at 4208 Lewis Access Road in Center Point

The penalty for an employee selling to someone underage is $100 fine for the first violation, $250 for the second, and all subsequent violations carry a $500 fine.

For a retailer, the first violation carries a $300 civil penalty. The second violation within two years and third violation within three years carry the same penalty of a $1,500 fine or a 30-day suspension of tobacco sales permit. The fourth violation within three years carries a $1,500 fine and a 60-day suspension of the permit, and the fifth violation within four years would be a revocation of the permit.