Thread: 11 arrested in raid on restaurant

11 arrested in raid on restaurant
Friday, June 25, 2010 02:52 AM
By Jim Woods

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

New Albany, OHIO - police raided a Mexican restaurant last night, arresting its assistant manager on drug charges and 10 other employees on drug or immigration charges.

Police say the bust came after an officer worked undercover as an employee of the restaurant.

Police officers descended on the Don Patron Mexican Restaurant, 9475 Johnstown Rd., at 8:30 p.m.

Four employees were arrested on drug-related charges. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained six other employees, saying they were illegal immigrants.

Story continues belowAdvertisement Earlier in the evening, Cristian A. Garcia, 31, the restaurant's assistant manager, was arrested along with two others on felony drug-trafficking charges.

Police officers arrested Garcia, of 5433 Rockingham Court in Blendon Township, along with Omar E. Jimenez, 26, of Galion, and Ricardo R. Rodriguez, 28, of 5484 Ashberry Village Court on Columbus' Far West Side. Jimenez and Rodriguez aren't connected to the restaurant.

They said that the three had sold 2 kilos - more than 4 pounds - of cocaine for $75,000 at the corner of Rome-Hilliard and Renner roads on the Far West Side. Columbus and Gahanna police officers assisted in that arrest.

New Albany Police Chief Mark Chaney said last night's arrests were the culmination of five months of work by an undercover officer.

"We had received a tip that employees were dealing drugs out of the restaurant," Chaney said. "We were able to get an undercover officer into the restaurant."

Undercover Officer Joe Duff got a job at the restaurant and worked there five months to learn what was going on, Chaney said.

Before last night's larger deal, Chaney said his undercover officer was able to arrange for three smaller purchases of cocaine.

The name of the restaurant's manager was unknown early today.

jwoods@dispatch.com

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/lo ... ml?sid=101

Good news.

But why is the reporter "outing" the undercover officer by name?

I agree sarum! So I fired off this email to the author:

I just read your article on the drug bust at the Mexican Restaurant, ooooh big surprize there! I want to know WHY you would reveal the name of the undercover Policeman? Are you trying to put a target on his back?

Why no mention on the Immigration Status of the Hispanics busted? Are they now going to go after the owners of said restaurant? You left a lot out of this story, as if shielding the people busted.

that is good news.
lets keep seeing stories like this every day