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September 20, 2019

Following sting operation, Rock Bar & Union Tavern could lose liquor licenses

Photo | Grant Welker The Union Tavern, along with nearby Rock Bar, allegedly served underaged patrons Thursday.

Two Canal District bars in Worcester were caught in a sting Thursday for allegedly serving alcohol to minors.

The two bars — The Rock Bar on Water Street and The Union Tavern on Green Street — were found Thursday with 26 underage people either in possession of alcohol or with false identification, according to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

Investigators and officers with the Worcester Police Department's liquor enforcement unit found both bars to be at or near capacity when they arrived, with both emptying out quickly once they began asking for identification, the ABCC said. Most of the underage people attended local colleges and were 18 or 19 years old.

The bars will be summoned for a hearing before the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. If they are found to have violated the law, their liquor licenses could be suspended, modified or revoked.

The sting was part of the Massachusetts Operation Safe Campus program to prevent underage drinking.

The Rock Bar opened early this year at the former Blackstone Tap location, which closed after owner Kevin Perry and wife Stacey Gala were charged with laundering the proceeds of illicit drug sales through the restaurant.

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