Back in June, business partners and brothers Miam and Muhammed Saleem went before the City Council’s Safety Services and Licenses committee after being issued six citations from the Cranston Police Department for selling tobacco products to minors. After a municipal court hearing on Oct. 28, Assistant Solicitor John Verdecchia informed council members that Miam admitted to five of the now seven citations and the judge imposed a $2,500 fine for the violations. Additionally, as of Dec. 1, the store’s tobacco license will be suspended for a 30 day period.

Miam is the owner of Food and Fuel on Cranston Street and Speedy Mart on Warwick Avenue. At the committee’s June meeting, Sargent Lori Sweeney said the Cranston Police Department received tips that Food and Fuel was selling tobacco products to individuals under 21. In December of 2021, Sweeney – who’s part of the Special Victims Unit – completed compliance checks throughout the city where officers would send a decoy into various stores to ensure establishments were following the law and not selling to minors. When the decoy was sent into Food and Fuel to purchase tobacco products, they were never asked their age or for identification.

Following six violations that were presented at the June meeting, the committee unanimously voted (5-0) to suspend the business’s five licenses for 20 days with a 90 day abeyance period. When the brothers came before the council in September, another citation had been accumulated – coming to a total of seven violations.

This issue has been on the committee’s docket for the past several months, with Verdecchia saying he’s continued the matter each month to see what’s taken place in municipal court. Verdecchia said given the municipal court’s October decision and speaking on behalf of the administration and in Verdecchia’s capacity as prosecutor, he is satisfied with that disposition.

“It was a pretty stiff sanction that was imposed,” said Verdecchia, adding there was no further need for action from the committee.

Verdecchia said there will be one more day in municipal court since one citation is being held in abeyance. He said if there are no further issues, that citation will be dismissed on the court date. Verdecchia added the topic to the Safety Services and License Committee’s December meeting for a status update to make sure there are no more violations because that will affect how the committee views the establishment’s other licenses. The store’s additional licenses concern victualing and extended hours.