Two nabbed in shoulder tap operation

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Recently, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputies from the Street Crimes Division staged a special operation to catch individuals buying alcohol for minors.

The operation occurred Friday night from 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. in Albuquerque's South Valley.

News 13 rode along with operation coordinators as they arrested two individuals who fell for law enforcement "traps."

The trap is known in police terms as a shoulder tap operation, where an undercover minor asks an individual walking inside a store to buy them some beer.

The first undercover minor was able to quickly get a man to buy him some beer. That man was arrested a few minutes later. In addition to a likely charge of supplying alcohol to a minor, the suspect was also arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Minutes later, a second suspect purchased beer for another undercover minor. However, the suspect attempted to drive at a Sheriff's deputy. Backup officers quickly detained the suspect after a brief struggle and brought him to the ground.

While some people may argue that law enforcement traps are nothing more than entrapment, Bernalillo County Sheriff Sgt. Sid Covington said it's a proactive approach to enforcing state alcohol laws.