Dedicated to Improving the Standards & Practices of Liquor Law Enforcement
July 14, 2021 Vol. 25
If you have Alcohol Law Enforcement news to share please send it to Carrie Christofes, Executive Director at [email protected]
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Registration Open! The 2021 Annual Conference, will be held November 15-17 in Montgomery, Alabama at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, in collaboration with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation. Conference registration and hotel accommodations are now open!
NLLEA Awards
The NLLEA Awards recognize leaders and outstanding programs in the field of alcohol law enforcement. Annual awards are given in the following four categories: Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency of the Year, Alcohol Law Enforcement Agent of the Year, Innovative Alcohol Law Enforcement Program of the Year, and the John W. Britt Community Service Award. For more information on each award, visit the awards page at nllea.org. You may self-nominate or you may nominate someone in your agency or another agency. Please fill out the form below for the appropriate category in which you wish to nominate yourself, your agency, another agent, or another agency. The deadline for receiving nominations is August 31, 2021. Please email this document along with any supporting documentation to [email protected] Link to Awards Nomination Form
Interested in getting more involved in the NLLEA? The Board is accepting self-nominations for the Sergeant-at-Arms position, and will be holding elections at the annual board meeting at the conference in Montgomery, Alabama Nov. 15-17. The NLLEA’s Sergeant-at-Arms participates in NLLEA Board meetings, reviews workshop abstracts submitted for the Annual Conference, reviews nominations for the annual NLLEA Law Enforcement Awards and helps with NLLEA publications. The Sergeant-at-Arms position is a first- year position on the Board. In the subsequent four years, the Sergeant-at-Arms will serve as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, and President, before serving their final year as Immediate Past President.
If you would like to declare your candidacy for the Sergeant-At-Arms position, please submit: A picture of yourself for the nominees’ bio email. A brief statement (no more than 500 words) detailing your background and qualifications, why you would like to hold this office, and your vision for the future for the NLLEA.
Candidates for the Sergeant-at-Arms position should submit their information to [email protected] by August 31, 2021.
CT-Police: Alcohol compliance check in Bridgeport leads to 3.5 pound cocaine seizure A city man was charged last week after a routine alcohol compliance check led to the discovery of more than 3 pounds of cocaine, officials said. Michael Vegas was charged with operating a drug factory, illegal possession of explosives, and possession with intent to sell over 1/2 ounce of cocaine, among other charges, Bridgeport police say. Bridgeport Police Tactical Narcotics Team, in a joint operation with the State Liquor Commission, conducted spot checks Wednesday at stores permitted to sell beer and liquor that were suspected of selling alcohol to minors, police said. Link to Article
ND-‘Ah, so happy’: Residents react a week after controversial nightclub’s liquor license suspension The city commissioners made the decision to suspend the club’s liquor license after reports from the Fargo Police Dept. and a recommendation from the liquor control board. According to Commissioner Tony Gehrig, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Internal Revenue Service may be investigating the nightclub. “The city of Fargo pulling their liquor license is the least of their problems with this nightclub. They’re going to have the ATF, they’re going to have the FBI, they’re going to have the IRS looking into them due to all the problems that were going on in that business.” said Gehrig. Recent reports from law enforcement showed rampant problems for the club that has been embroiled in controversy. From firearms being stored in fridges to paying people under the table and even most recently, a homicide investigation that opened on May 23. Link to Article
District Court Issues Rash Decision. Rules for State of North Carolina and Dismisses Out of State Retailer’s Dormant Commerce Clause Complaint Pardon the pun but the lawsuit brought by Mike Rash, B-21 Wines, et. al has been dismissed by the district court so I will call it the Rash decision. United States District Judge Frank Whitney of the Western District of North Carolina has granted the state of North Carolina’s motion to dismiss the effort of the plaintiffs to be able to ship wine from retailers directly to North Carolinians. Judge Whitney noted that the attempts to claim constitutional protection for out of state retailers like out of state supplier jurisprudence is ill founded. He noted, “Wineries are producers; they are the first tier in a three-tier system and are meaningfully distinct from retailers, the third tier... Allowing producers to circumvent the three-tier system does not undermine the system in the same way allowing retailers to circumvent the system would.“ Link to Article
NC-Investigation into crash that killed 2 teens leads to charges against house party hosts Two adults accused of giving alcohol to teenagers have been criminally charged after a wreck that left two teens dead and two more seriously injured, the N.C. Department of Public Safety said in a news release. An investigation by the Alcohol Law Enforcement led to Stevens being additionally charged with underage possession of alcohol and possession of fraudulent identification. Through the ALE's investigation, authorities learned that the four teenagers used fake IDs to buy and drink alcohol at an Oak Ridge restaurant on June 25. Earlier in the night, they also drank alcohol at a house party on Leadenhall Road, according to the N.C. DPS. Link to Article
WATCH NOW: Mayo expert discusses dangers of teen drinking, prevention tips For some teens, summer means less time under supervision, more parties and, especially after months of limited interactions due to the pandemic, a time for carefree socialization. Teenage drinking is far from a new issue, but studies show even stay at home restrictions, which likely affected the ability for underage persons to obtain alcohol, did not curb consumption for those under 21. And with the reopening of establishments and resurgence of gatherings, access to beer, wine and liquor will become easier. Link to Article
TTB tips for labeling, advertising alcohol beverage calories, carbs and sugar content Flying Embers sent us some tasty hard kombuchas the other day (along with some seltzer). This came after receiving some non-alcohol IPAs from Oregon-based Crux Fermentation and some hop-infused water from Hoplark. While I am mourning the days of getting actual beer sent to our doorstep, these flavored alcohol and near-beer innovations are winning me over. They aren’t replacing my desire for a beer, but they are carving out their own niches. Their most powerful lesson, though, is a reminder that labeling matters. Link to Article
North Carolina & Juul Reach $40M Settlement Over Youth Marketing Claims North Carolina became the first state to reach a settlement with Juul over concerns that its product attracts underage users. Under a consent order reached with State Attorney General Josh Stein, Juul will pay $40 million and make changes to the way it conducts business. The $40 million, which Juul will pay to the state over the next six years, will fund programs to help people quit e-cigarettes, prevent e-cigarette addiction, and research e-cigarettes. "For years, Juul targeted young people, including teens, with its highly addictive e- cigarette. It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children — one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina," Stein said in a statement. The state will continue to fight the teen vaping epidemic and its efforts to prevent underage nicotine use, he added. Link to Article
Map shows which counties are home to the highest number of excessive drinkers in the United States You may have a perception of how much alcohol the people in your community drink, but does it match reality? A new map helps illustrate which counties across the United States are prone to excessive drinking and which states avoid a big bar tab.The data behind the map comes from a County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The report is intended to improve health outcomes and close health disparities by bringing awareness to factors that influence health and offer actions on improving community health. Within the report, factors are reviewed, categorized, and used to determine length and quality of life on a state-by-state basis. Among those factors is alcohol and drug use, which is determined based on excessive drinking. Link to Article
Speakeasy Co. now servicing 250 brands through direct-to-consumer alcoholic beverage service Tech and e-commerce company Speakeasy Co., which offers a three-tier compliant, direct-to-consumer solution for alcoholic beverage brands, is now servicing 250 distinct brands on its platform. The announcement comes as the company has scaled from roughly 40 brands in January 2020 up to 250 in July of this year. “The speed and momentum Speakeasy Co. has generated over the past year is surreal,” Josh Jacobs, co-founder and CEO, said on Tuesday. “We are humbled by the milestone and grateful for the support of so many throughout this journey, but this is just the beginning for Speakeasy Co. The team remains as committed as ever to our mission of providing partners with the solutions and services essential to scaling their businesses.” The company has helped alcoholic beverage brands integrate into the rapidly growing world of e-commerce. After partnering with Speakeasy Co., spirit brand Dano’s Tequila raised sales from just under $5,000 in Q2 2020 to $25,000 in Q1 2021, while Portuguese-based vendor Ginja9 grew monthly revenue from a lowly $750 to over $30,000 within eight months. Link to Article
Understanding Fulfillment Houses Is Key to Regulating DtC Shipping Though fulfillment houses only operate under the explicit direction of a licensed shipper, they often appear to regulators as unlicensed entities in the DtC market, which brings up legitimate fears of possible sales to minors or lost tax revenue to the states. For legislators, who may not fully understand the shipping process but are stoked by these fears, fulfillment houses present a ripe target for additional, but unnecessary, regulation. For example, this year we’ve seen headlines like “Tennessee Legislators Aim to Limit Winery Direct Shipping Sales” and “States Grapple With How to Regulate Fulfillment Houses.” The increased legislative activity has thrust fulfillment houses into the industry spotlight, while the rise in DtC alcohol purchases has made their role more relevant to consumers as well. Link to Article
2020-21 NLLEA Board Members: John Yeomans, President - DE - [email protected] Todd Merlina, Vice President - PA - [email protected] Thomas Kirby, Secretary/Treasurer - VA - [email protected] Israel Morrow, Sergeant at Arms - NC - [email protected] Greg Croft, Immediate Past President - OH - [email protected]
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