Wine and Spirits Trade Group Urges Iowa Action in Underage Alcohol Shipping Case

27/03/07 The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc. requested that the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division investigate and take enforcement action against an online retailer who shipped alcohol illegally into Iowa recently.

As reported this week in The Daily Iowan, Binny's Beverage Depot shipped 24 bottles of beer via United Parcel Service (UPS) to the apartment of two University of Iowa students. Not only did the UPS driver fail to check identification for proof of age at the time of delivery, but the transaction was in clear violation of Iowa law, which prohibits the direct delivery of beer and liquor to consumers' homes.

According to The Daily Iowan, Binny's is already being investigated by UPS and by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, which is seeking to suspend or revoke the online retailer's liquor license for violating alcohol regulatory statutes in that state.

"Online retailers are playing fast and loose with alcohol laws -- shipping beer, wine and liquor with no fear of being caught doing something illegal -- including selling to kids," WSWA President and CEO Craig Wolf said. "I will be following up with Iowa ABC Administrator Lynn Walding to see that his division makes good on his promise to investigate and hold this company as accountable as a neighborhood retailer-and I will ask that he widen his investigation to include the other interstate retailers The Daily Iowan found were willing to ship to Iowa, including Texas retailer Specs Liquors, Berbiglia Wine and Spirits in Kansas, New York's Grand Wine Cellar, Surdyks Liquor Store in Minnesota and the Jug Shop in San Francisco."

A UPS spokesman was quoted in the article saying that the giant carrier was not a "police" agency. "We don't expect to be, and we don't want to be." He further claimed that UPS was not responsible for enforcing the law.

"It is hard to understand how UPS can be entrusted to deliver alcohol in Iowa -- or anywhere else for that matter -- when it disavows any legal responsibility to ensure its deliveries are in compliance with the law," Wolf said. "We hope the Iowa ABC looks into the conduct of UPS in this case as well."