Wareham Jug Shop caught in second liquor sting

Aug 1, 2018

The Jug Shop at 219 Main St. was caught for a second time by Wareham Police detectives on Tuesday, July 31, for allegedly selling alcohol to minors. This compliance check follows a sting which took place on Thursday, July 26, in which The Jug Shop was also cited.

The owner of the store, Adelaide Deponte, 68, of Mansfield, sold alcohol to an undercover operative on Tuesday and again on Thursday without asking for I.D., police said.

When approached by a detective about the sale, Deponte claimed police were trying to set her up.

In addition to the Jug Shop, Mayflower Liquors on 3150 Cranberry Highway also failed a compliance check when Aruna Johar, 65, of Plymouth, allowed the sale of the alcohol to a minor, police said.

Both will face criminal charges for selling liquor to a person under the age of 21.

“This is a very serious issue which I consider a matter of public safety," Acting Wareham Police Chief John Walcek said. "I am disgusted that a store owner would accuse a detective of this department that we are trying to set their business up. Obviously, they did not get the message that we will have zero tolerance for this crime. It is very simple, obey the law and there won’t be any issues.”

According to Walcek, the Wareham Police Department will be continuously following up on every business in town that has a liquor license.