Three Naperville merchants were cited for violating city ordinances when clerks sold tobacco or nicotine products to underage customers, according to the Naperville Police Department.
To ensure businesses are abiding by the law, which limits the purchase of cigarettes, vaping products or liquid nicotine to those 21 or older, police recruit teens and young adults to visit service stations, drugstores, convenience stores and other businesses to try to buy products.
Of the 72 checks conducted March 26 and 27, 69 stores in Naperville passed.
The three retailers that failed were Jewel/Osco at 1227 S. Naper Blvd.; CBD Vape Smoke at 4003 Plainfield-Naperville Road; and Smoke XL at 1003A W. Ogden Ave.
License holders with one violation in a year face a fine of between $100 and $200 and must complete a tobacco education program.
Four or more city violations in a 12-month period could result in a fine of up to $750, 30 hours of community service and completion of a tobacco education program.
The department educates tobacco and nicotine retailers on minimum-age laws and the importance of verifying the age of customers before selling age-restrictive products with the help of a grant awarded by the Illinois Department of Human Services Tobacco Enforcement Program.
Police said businesses are given a retailer education packet and notified the compliance checks are going to occur.
In 2017, Naperville raised the age for customers purchasing cigarette, tobacco or nicotine products from 18 to 21. Illinois followed suit two years later.