Manteca Police arrested three suspects on Saturday for furnishing alcoholic beverages to minors.

They were:

uGeoffrey Omadhebo, 21, of Manteca was also issued a citation for theft.

uRosaMaria Cuevas, 33, of Manteca was also issued a citation for driving on a suspended license.

u Jarod Mobley, 35, of Stockton.

The operation was conducted in the general vicinity of Manteca.

Manteca Police conducted a program called a Decoy Shoulder Tap Operation which targets adults who purchase alcohol for people less than 21 years of age. This operation was part of a state wide operation, which include approximately 100 agencies running Shoulder Tap Operations. Under the program, a minor under the direct supervision of a peace officer will stand outside a liquor or convenience store and ask patrons to buy them alcohol. The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.

If the adults agree to purchase alcohol for the minor, Agents then arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to the minor. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

The program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics show they generally have a higher rate of drunken driving crashes than adults. Studies also show the combination of alcohol and youth tends to increase criminal conduct.

According to the American Medical Association, underage drinking can increase chances of risky sexual behavior and teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, compromise health, and result in unintentional injury and death.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to battle alcohol-related crime.