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State warns tobacco sellers they can expect undercover visitsAssociated Press, 09/05/98 13:33
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - A $407,000 federal grant means Maine tobacco retailers can expect at least one undercover visit during the coming year to ensure they aren't selling cigarettes to underage customers, state officials say.
The money from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will let police officers using student interns make about 4,500 undercover attempts to buy tobacco products, said John Archard of the state attorney general's office.
All 2,800 licensed Maine tobacco retailers can expect at least one check, and some will be visited more than once.
But a spokesman for the Maine Merchants Association, while applauding the goal of reducing the number of young people smoking, said local retailers may be singled out unfairly.
``To announce that you're going to raid every business that sells a particular product without any evidence of wrongdoing, it seems to me an unprecedented deepening of government mistrust and a new standard for law enforcement,'' said James McGregor.
Archard said the program will be administered by Howe and Co. of Augusta, and the checks will be conducted under contracts with the Maine Sheriffs Association and police departments in Portland, Lewiston and Westbrook covering the entire state.
Under a previous program funded by the state, about 1,000 checks were made.
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