Nearly one quarter of the tobacco retailers in Wareham were caught selling tobacco products to an underage customer during a sting conducted on Dec. 26 by the Cape Cod Regional Tobacco Control Program

The director of the program, Robert Collett, said the group has conducted stings for the Wareham Board of Health once or twice a year for the past 19 years to check for compliance with the local youth access to tobacco.

"It's quite a surprise to find this many violations," Collett said.

The stings all occur the same, according to Collett. A youth buyer with cash is sent in to a retailer to purchase tobacco products, and the retailer either sells to him/her or doesn't.

He said the rate of tobacco sales to minors had been low across the state, and in particular the Cape Cod and islands region, but sales have begun to rise in some towns like Wareham.

As of 2011, Wareham had the third highest incident rate for lung cancer out of towns in Massachusetts with more than 20,000 residents. At that time there were 4,000 estimated smokers in Wareham, nearly 20 percent of the population and 37 percent higher than the rest of the state.

Collett said he's not sure what could be responsible for the increase in sales, but he said the penalties are not the problem.

"Wareham has more stringent laws than the state requires," he said.

For first time offenders there is a $100 fine and additional sales within a 36 month period result in stricter penalties.

Collett said the penalties are usually effective, at least in the short term.

Both New England Farms on Cranberry Highway and Wareham Country Market on Marion Road were caught in the most recent sting and violated the law twice within the last three years. They were given a $200 fine and a had a seven-day suspension of tobacco and nicotine sales.

Violators included New England Farms, 2105 Cranberry Highway, Wareham Country Market, 195 Marion Road, Tedeschi Food Shop Inc. 3, Barker Road, Capeway Convenience, 3187 Cranberry Highway, Oak Grove Package Store, 47 Depot St., , The Jug Shop, 219 Main St., Shaw's Supermarket 7653, Gateway Gas, 2537 Cranberry Highway, and Wareham Service Station, 204 Marion Road.

Collett also said the sale of  "nicotine delivery products" such as e-cigarettes should be treated the same as traditional tobacco products.

Marion recently passed regulations banning the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18 and Rochester passed similar regulations a year and a half ago.

Collett said he also encourages towns to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in indoor use and public places.

Going forward, Collett hopes future checks by the Tobacco Control Program will results in zero sales to minors.

"The Board of Health has done a terrific job over the years and I hope the retailers will make a better effort to comply with the law and prevent young people from smoking," Collett said. "It has to be a joint effort."