Acting Department of Commerce Secretary Ivan Blanco said Joshua Muna and Douglas Palacios, investigators with the Alcohol Beverage Tobacco Control Division, were responsible in preventing stores from selling alcohol and tobacco to teenagers.
Through their constant monitoring work, several stores were fined for selling alcohol to minors.
“I think they did a fine job in protecting our youths. Congratulations to them. They deserve a big round of applause,” said Blanco.
Muna and Palacios’ work greatly contributed to the CNMI Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program, or EUDL, which was chosen as this year’s Office of Justice Programs National Success Story Award for 2010.
The Criminal Justice Planning Agency administers the EUDL program.
Blanco said ABTC Division Chief Dave Maratita and his team will continue to keep track of stores violating the law against selling alcohol and tobacco to minors.
