Several businesses that are licensed to sell tobacco products in town have been selling tobacco products to minors, a recent inspection found.

Health Agent Bob Ethier mentioned during the board's regular meeting Wednesday night that there were 20 in violation of the law. Cape Cod Regional Tobacco Control Program representative Robert Collett conducted the inspection and found that of the 39 stores, 20 failed the age compliance check, and that some even made sales, despite knowing the patrons' ages.

Collett said in a later interview that the program hired 16-and 17-year-olds to enter stores and buy tobacco with only money in their pockets and no identification. State law forbids selling tobacco and tobacco products to anyone under 18 years of age.

"It's very, very surprising to me because we've done a lot of outreach and they've been penalized in the past for similar violations," Collett said. "We've continued to experience a high level of non-compliance with tobacco regulations in the town of Wareham."

The shops that failed the check are as follows:

• Hi-Lo Gas
• Capeway Convenience and Liquors
• Mayflower Liquors
• Liquor Locker
• Speedy Mart
• 7-11 in West Wareham
• Anchor Liquors
• Brennan's Smoke Shop
• New England E-Cig & Smoke Emporium, Inc.
• Onset Village Market
• Stop & Shop
• Tedeschi's
• Family Dollar
• 5-Star Gateway Gas
• Sam's Gas
• Wareham Country Market
• The Jug Shop
• Joe's Gas
• Sullivan's Wine and Spirits
• Dollar General

Though they are required by law to check the identification of anyone appearing to be under the age of 27, many of the stores did not check identification. Some stores made sales despite knowing that their patrons were underaged.

Depending on the frequency of similar violations made in the past 36 months, the stores can be fined as little as $100 or as much as $300 with a 30 day suspension of the licenses.

Geoffrey Yalenezian, owner of a small chain called Brennan's Smoke Shop for more than 23 years, said he had no violations for the first 19 years of his business. But in the past four years, four of his seven stores have had four violations. He said he is determined to curb these violations for good.

"I'm more than shocked because I'm so adamant and diligent about our store policy. We're going to broaden our policy. Now, if I see anybody not card anybody, they're getting fired on the spot," said Yalenezian. "This type of thing is my family's livelihood. Just the fact that an employee sold to a young person is disgusting."

Other store owners were in disbelief as well, but for other reasons. Mohammad Sattar, who has been the manager at Capeway Convenience for two years, said he hadn't received a notice about the violation when Wareham Week spoke with him Monday. Though Sattar has faced the Board of Health for Capeway Convenience selling tobacco to minors twice in the past, he was still in disbelief.

"We check all of the people's IDs. We check all of the time, me and my father," Sattar said.

Peter Parekh, manager at the Liquor Locker, said that he's never heard of that problem in his store before. He hopes that the Board of Health and the Cape Cod Regional Tobacco Control Program will provide the name of the person who committed the violation in order to give his employee a warning.

"I don't want these things in my store," Parekh said. "I'm personally against selling tobacco at all. I don't know how it happened."

Last month, the Board of Health voted to raise the age at which individuals may purchase tobacco and tobacco products from 18 to 21, beginning April 1. Though the vote included a ban on flavored tobacco products, e-cigarette fluid, and vaping fluid, Health Agent Robert Ethier clarified that the ban on flavored tobacco affects everyone who sells tobacco but is hard to enforce in a smoke shop, where there are different violations related to protecting tobacco regulations. The only new restriction on smoke shops will be the change in legal age to buy tobacco and tobacco related products.

The tobacco program will continue compliance checks with violators, and with all shops after the new age restriction takes place.

Once retailers receive the notices of violation, they will be ordered in front of the Board of Health on March 2 at 4 p.m. and the board will determine penalties.