Five Arrested in Undercover Operation Targeting Sales of Vapes, Alcohol to Minors in Stephens County
TOCCOA, Ga. – A months long undercover investigation into the illegal sale of tobacco and alcohol products to minors in Stephens County led to the arrest of five store employees Tuesday afternoon, according to the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation, known as Operation Nico-TEEN, began in November 2025 after investigators received multiple complaints from residents that convenience stores and vape shops were selling nicotine products and alcohol to underage individuals.
Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division conducted compliance checks at approximately 30 stores throughout Toccoa and Stephens County using underage individuals to attempt purchases of nicotine derived vapes and alcohol. Authorities said five stores were found to be out of compliance with state laws requiring verification of age before selling such products.
At about 3 p.m. Tuesday, investigators visited the five locations where violations were documented. Within less than two hours, all five employees accused of selling vapes or alcohol to minors were taken into custody without incident and transported to the Stephens County Jail.
Prajoy Deb, 26, of Martin, was arrested around 3:23 p.m. at the Chevron/Royal Foods convenience store on Highway 17 near Old Mill Road in Eastanollee. Deb is charged with Sale of Tobacco to Minor and Furnishing Alcohol to Minor.
Jaskaran Singh, 19, of Queens, New York, was arrested around 3:34 p.m. at the Citgo/American Eagle I convenience store on Big A Road in Toccoa. Authorities said Singh had been residing in Toccoa. He is charged with Sale of Tobacco to Minor.
Sarbjit Singh, 33, of Toccoa, was arrested around 4:25 p.m. at the Citgo/Mountain Mart convenience store at the intersection of Big A Road and Highway 123. He is charged with Sale of Tobacco to Minor.
Harpreet Singh, 21, of Toccoa, was arrested around 4:29 p.m. at the Raceway convenience store on Big A Road. Singh, who also goes by the name “Happy,” is charged with Sale of Tobacco to Minor. Authorities said he had previously been arrested on Dec. 31, 2025, for Furnishing Alcohol to Minor after deputies learned during a traffic stop that two individuals under the age of 21 had purchased alcohol from him.
Kathy Mize, 71, of Toccoa, was arrested around 4:51 p.m. while working at Dollar Tree in Toccoa. Investigators said Mize sold a vape to a minor during the operation while working at Marathon/Collins Convenience at the intersection of Collins Road and Pond Street in Toccoa. She is charged with Sale of Tobacco to Minor.
Authorities said that since being booked into the Stephens County Jail, three of the individuals have received detainers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending deportation due to lacking active passports or work visas.
“This is an ongoing effort to curb the sale of tobacco based products to underage children in Stephens County,” Sheriff Rusty Fulbright said. “Concerned parents have cried out, and we are doing more than just listening.”
Fulbright said the sheriff’s office will continue enforcement efforts targeting the sale of nicotine products to minors and urged store owners and clerks to verify identification before completing sales.
