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Booze sting targets stores
Six are cited for selling to minors
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Forsyth County News
At a glance

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has cited the following people for selling alcoholic beverages to minors:
* Keegan Hendrix of World Beverage, 5840 Gateway Drive
* Yong Kim of Thomas Chevron, 7730 McGinnis Ferry Road
* Hermansu Patel of Liquor Locker, 2325 Atlanta Highway
All three businesses are in south Forsyth.

Also cited were:
* Hyung Chung of Chung’s Gas Station, 3380 Buford Highway, south of Cumming
* Vidyadhar Chiluka of Quick Stop No. 1, 2383 Canton Highway, west of Cumming
* Peter Shin of Oscarville Country Store, 8430 Browns Bridge Road, in northeast Forsyth County

Srinuas Varaganti, also at Quick Stop No. 1, was cited for not being properly permitted to sell alcoholic beverages.

Source: Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office
Six people have been charged with selling alcoholic beverages to minors as the result of an undercover operation by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

A seventh person was charged for not having a proper permit to sell alcoholic beverages.

According to sheriff’s reports, the operation occurred Feb. 21 and involved an undercover deputy in plain clothes, a uniformed deputy and a person under age 21. Thirteen businesses were checked.

Sheriff’s Capt. Frank Huggins said underage alcohol sales are not a growing trend in Forsyth.

“It’s a problem that every county has and we have to be proactive so that it doesn’t get out of hand,” he said.

Those cited will have to go before the Forsyth County Magistrate Court and the primary license holder of each business will have to appear at an administrative hearing before the Forsyth County commission.

Sheriff Ted Paxton said his office is “very serious about enforcing the law regarding sales of alcoholic beverages to underage persons.”

“We will continue our enforcement efforts and will have zero tolerance for underage sales,” he said.

Repeated offenses could result in suspension or loss of license to sell alcoholic beverages.

Huggins said the undercover operations are performed throughout the year at stores and restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages in the county.

He said businesses are chosen based on prior offenses and complaints.

During such operations, Huggins explained, the underage person enters the store followed by the undercover deputy. The uniformed deputy waits outside.

“The sale is observed at all times by an undercover deputy,” Huggins said. “When the sale is completed, they leave the store and a uniformed deputy comes in.”

At that point, the person who made the sale is cited.

Huggins said minors are chosen from the community. If they are not 18 or older, their parents must give permission for them to participate in the operation.

E-mail Julie Arrington at juliearrington@forsythnews.com