Police crack down on underage drinkers, suppliers

A covert surveillance operation outside a Thunder Bay liquor store has led to charges for underage drinking and for supplying alcohol to minors.

This past weekend,  Thunder Bay Police officers teamed up at the LCBO store in the Thunder Centre to monitor youth attempting to purchase alcohol.  They also focused on identifying people who were purchasing alcohol for minors and supplying it to them outside of the store.

After staking out the location on Fort William Road, they issued five tickets for bootlegging and three for having liquor underage. Liquor was seized in all eight instances.

Constable Julie Tilbury said the Intercity location was chosen for a reason.

"Well, right now we have an identified issue in that area, and that is where the focus is at this point in time. And depending on how things progress, determinations will be made as to how this project will continue." 

Tilbury said  the LCBO is co-operating with police in the crackdown.

It's part of an effort by the Thunder Bay Police Aboriginal Liaison Unit and Focused Enforcement Team to deal with youth alcohol issues in the Intercity area.