Nine Clerks Arrested Across Polk County for Selling Alcohol to Minors During Operation Pop Top

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested nine sales clerks at convenience stores across Polk County this week after an undercover operation found them willing to sell alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. The operation, called Operation Pop Top, also checked smoke shops for illegal sales of tobacco and kratom to minors.

The checks were conducted using a member of PCSO’s Cadet Unit 1000, a program for high school students interested in careers in law enforcement. Cadet members attempted purchases at convenience stores and smoke shops while deputies monitored and made arrests when sales were completed illegally.

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On Thursday, July 2, 2026, deputies visited 38 convenience stores and arrested three clerks, one each at a Shell in Lakeland, a Citgo in Mulberry and a Marathon in Haines City, each charged with selling alcohol to a person under 21. The Citgo clerk was additionally placed under an ICE hold after being determined to be in the country illegally. On Friday, July 3, deputies visited 20 convenience stores and arrested a clerk at a Gate station in Lake Wales on the same charge.

Over the course of the week, deputies and Cadet members checked a total of 170 convenience stores and 11 smoke shops, resulting in nine total arrests.

“The deputies and Cadet members did a great job this week,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “They checked 170 convenience stores, eleven smoke shops, and arrested a total of nine clerks who broke the law. This week was an extraordinary effort by the deputies and Cadets, but their work will continue throughout the year in order to protect the children of our community.”

All individuals referenced in this report are presumed innocent. An arrest is not a conviction. Court records are available through the Polk County Clerk of Court at polkclerkfl.gov.

As of the date of publication, no additional press releases or court updates are available for these cases.

Sources: Polk County Sheriff’s Office press release, July 5, 2026: https://www.polksheriff.org/news-investigations/polk-county-news/2026/07/05/three-more-arrests-for-operation-pop-top Polk County Clerk of Court case records: https://www.polkclerkfl.gov/299/Criminal-Traffic-Records