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By DJ Becker

Police and agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control held sting operations in Madera over the weekend and found minors were able to buy alcohol about 20 percent of the time.

Underage youths were sent into 43 stores selling liquor over the weekend and in 10 of the attempts were able to buy alcohol with no questions asked.

A single violation of selling alcohol to minors can be costly for business owners, and a second offense can result in the suspension of the business's liquor license. Madera has about 165 businesses licensed to sell alcohol.

Undercover Madera police officers from the Community Response Unit watched as the 19-year-old minors acting as decoys entered gas stations, grocery and liquor stores and attempted to buy alcohol with specially marked bills.

Note: The above article has been shortened from its published form in The Madera Tribune newspaper. For information about an online subscription, view http://maderatribuneredline.com/online-subscriptions/