Underage Drinking Bust In Western New York

If it's been said once, it's been said a million times: Buffalo is a drinking city with a football/hockey/lacrosse/partying problem. You don't have to look farther to see that than to any local corner watering hole.

Western New York has many clubs and bars that dot the area landscape; with the latest last call time in the state at 4 am, you can be sure that people will party literally all night long.

Unfortunately, with such a party culture that we have in the 716, that also means that from time to time, people who should not be drinking alcohol are caught doing just that.

The New York State Liquor Authority is charged with managing the use of alcohol in New York. With that power, they are also responsible for ensuring people who aren't supposed to use it don't.

That often means the SLA is conducting various operations and investigations to make sure that underage people aren't drinking. That recently happened right here in Erie County after the SLA did some underage compliance checks in Erie County.

State Liquor Authority Busts Places Allowing Underage Drinking

Officials from the SLA have had a busy couple of weeks. In between suspending Club Marcella's liquor license, they conducted several investigations to catch businesses selling or serving alcohol to people not legally old enough to buy alcohol.

On Tuesday, November 21, 2023, and Thursday, December 7, 2023, investigators from the SLA visited 18 different Western New York businesses to see if they would sell alcohol to people under 21. Of the 18 businesses, 5 of them were caught selling to underage people.

• 7 Eleven Store on N French Rd in Amherst,
• Aureus Enterprise on Main St in Amherst,
• 7 Eleven Store on Transit Rd in Lancaster,
• Target Store on Transit Rd in Depew, and
• Tops on Transit Rd in Lancaster.

According to the SLA, businesses charged with underage sales face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, with fines starting from $2,500 to $4,000 for a first-time offense. Repeat offenders also face possible suspension or revocation of their licenses. In addition, employees or licensees who sell to minors can be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.