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Gov’t deploys team to track delinquent alcohol vendors
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Posted on Jul 19 2000
Enforcement teams from the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Control Division of the Department of Commerce will be dispatched tomorrow to check if vendors who failed to renew their license stopped selling alcoholic drinks, according to Director Andrew Salas.
Mr. Salas said the enforcement officers will be sent out July 20 after at least 70 vendors, whose respective licenses to sell alcoholic beverages expired last month, failed to meet the June 30 deadline to renew their permits.
“We are 80 percent done with renewals but there are still about 70 vendors we have been trying to contact. We find that a lot of those that missed the deadline may not even speak English,” he said.
Despite this, the Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Control Division disclosed a reduction in the number of delinquent vendors throughout the Northern Marianas.
Mr. Salas added majority of the vendors who failed to meet the deadline were not aware that they should have renewed their licenses by June 30 until after receiving a call from the Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Control Division.
He stressed the inspection will be conducted tomorrow not only to prompt all vendors to secure proper permits from the Department of Commerce but also to educate them on proper licensing procedure.
He said the Division has been increasing efforts to educate both alcohol and tobacco license-holders on their rights as well as the responsibilities they assume in making sure that the items are not accessible to minors.
Mr. Salas pointed out that stiffer penalties meted out to those who sell alcoholic drinks and tobacco products without proper permits can result in major reduction on the delinquency rate for unlicensed vendors.
“We find that it’s getting better every year. However, an even greater way to cut delinquencies would be to increase penalties for violations and the cost of getting a license in the first place,” he said.
The Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Control Division is also urging alcoholic drinks vendors to renew their permits every year before the June 30 deadline, and their licenses to sell tobacco before its expiration.
