Three Linn County Retailers Caught Selling to Minor

Three Linn County retailers were found to have recently sold tobacco products to an underage person.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office conducted tobacco compliance checks using an underage undercover purchaser late last month, in conjunction with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division’s Iowa Pledge program.

Of the twenty-three Linn County tobacco product retailers checked, excluding the Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha metro area, three violated Iowa’s tobacco laws by selling cigarettes/tobacco products to a person under the age of twenty-one (21).

The retailers that sold tobacco products to an underage person were:

• Casey’s at 990 Robins Square Drive in Robins
• Budzz LLC at 105 S Main Avenue in Alburnett
• Casey’s at 1495 State Street in Ely

Penalties for illegal tobacco sales in Iowa include fines for the employee and retailer, with suspension and revocation of tobacco sales permits also possible depending on the number of violations. 

The Sheriff’s Office says additional compliance checks in Linn County may be conducted at any time throughout the year.