On August 14, town police and the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ tobacco enforcement unit conducted unannounced tobacco sales compliance inspections at local businesses that sell tobacco and electronic cigarettes, police said.

The enforcement project supports the Newtown Prevention Council’s efforts to prevent tobacco use and support healthy, substance-free living, according to police. State law prohibits the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes to people under age 18.

In the enforcement project, a trained and supervised person under age 18 entered the businesses and attempted to buy tobacco and/or e-cigarettes without providing any identification, police said.

Nineteen unannounced compliance inspections were conducted. Five businesses illegally sold tobacco or e-cigarettes to the minors, according to police.

Police said the offending store clerks were issued infractions for either the sale of tobacco to a minor or the sale of e-cigarettes to a minor. Both offenses carry a first-offense fine of $200. In addition, the retailers where the violations occurred were referred to the state Department of Revenue Services for possible administrative sanctions.

Police said that the following retailers were found to have violated the law: Bottle Stop Wine & Spirits at 5 Queen Street, Dodgingtown Market & Deli at 57 Dodgingtown Road, Sugar Hill LLC — Gulf at 153 Sugar Street, Fairgrounds Wine & Spirits at 228 South Main Street, and Walgreens at 49 South Main Street.