Time called on underage drinking

SENIOR gardaí are drawing up a hit list of pubs, shops and off-licences to be targeted for selling alcohol to underage drinkers.

Launching the new system, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said he was considering setting up a parallel scheme to combat the delivery of alcohol to minors at their homes. Mr Ahern said the test purchasing scheme did not seek “to trap an unwary licensee”, but target those suspected of “flouting the laws”.

Speaking at the launch, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the operation of the scheme would be based on intelligence gardaí already had on licensed premises.