ORLANDO, Fla. – Over 30 people face charges after police conducted a series of drug stings at bars in downtown Orlando, according to the police department.
In a release on Wednesday, police said that the operation — dubbed “Operation Night Cap” — took place between July and November.
“This operation involved a variety of law enforcement tactics, including undercover drug purchases at bars and nightclubs in the Downtown Entertainment Area,” the release reads. “Undercover officers went to 23 different establishments and purchased illegal narcotics such as fentanyl, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, methamphetamine, 2C (psychedelics), and cannabis.”
In all, the operation led to 85 charges against 32 total suspects, police added. So far, 11 people have been arrested.
However, police also said that undercover officers witnessed around 150 “After-Midnight Sales Permit” violations across the 23 bars and nightclubs involved in the operation.
As investigators explained, the city requires that these businesses implement certain safety measures, such as the use of weapons detection systems and ID scanners.
But during Operation Night Cap, police said they were able to enter these bars and nightclubs with firearms “due to inadequate or non-existent wand searches.”
“In most cases, IDs were not scanned or visually inspected, as mandated,” the release continues.
According to investigators, the establishments involved in this operation were as follows:
| Establishments in violation of the AMS permit | Establishments where drugs were sold |
|---|---|
| 64 North | Aero Rooftop Bar & Lounge |
| Aero Rooftop Bar & Lounge | Bullitt Bar (Employee sold drugs to an undercover officer) |
| The Attic/Treehouse | Casey’s on Central |
| The Basement | Dank Smoke Shop (Employee sold drugs to an undercover officer) |
| Bullitt Bar | Eden The Lounge |
| The Beacham | Fixtion Restaurant and Bar |
| EVE Orlando | The Monkey Bar |
| Elixir | Parlay Orlando |
| Fixtion Restaurant and Bar | Planet Pizza |
| Hen House | Pretty Please |
| Hooch | Room 22 (Employee sold drugs to an undercover officer) |
| The Monkey Bar | SHOTS Bar Orlando |
| Parlay Orlando | Sly Fox Pub |
| Proper | Swiggs (Two employees sold drugs to undercover officers) |
| Room 22 | Taco Kat |
| SHOTS Bar Orlando | Underground Public House |
| Shakai Sushi Lounge | Wall Street |
| Shine | |
| Sidebar Orlando | |
| The Other Bar | |
| Tier 22 | |
| Waitkiki | |
| Wall Street Cantina |
Among these, 64 North, Aero Rooftop Bar & Lounge, and The Beacham have taken part in a lawsuit against the city over some of the security measures imposed on downtown businesses.
Police said a hearing will be held to address the violations, and a decision will be made about whether to suspend or revoke the respective establishments’ permits.
But Scott Kotroba, owner of the Bullitt Bar, denied any connection between his establishment and one of the suspects who was arrested in this operation.
“(The police) kind of accuse some of our venues of something that just did not happen,” he said. “We are not aware of any violations. We have a strong communication with the city and code enforcement. We communication with them probably three-to-four times a week on what’s going on, what’s going well, what’s not going well, if we need to tighten things up. So we are not aware of any violations.”
Kotroba added that he would like to be notified by investigators about potential violations in a timely manner going forward.
“If you see something wrong, we need to fix it immediately, rather than gather all these violations,” he stated. “It’s almost like you are gathering ammunition to come after us, and that’s not a working relationship.”
Meanwhile, police announced that the list of arrests as of Wednesday is as follows:
- Derek Steven Jackson, 29
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Bullitt Bar, where police said he worked as a promoter/manager. However, Kotroba told News 6 that Jackson has never been an employee there.
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Darius Montreal Smith, 29
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Swiggs, where he worked as a security guard
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine, unlawful use of a two-way communication device
- Roderick Lawayne Pringle, Jr., 27
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Room 22, where he worked as a bar-back
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cannabis
- Mitch Abdul Brown Harper, 51
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Fixtion Restaurant and Bar
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Vincent Michael Cardone, 31
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Fixtion Restaurant and Bar, Underground, Bullitt Bar, and Taco Kat
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine (four counts), possession of cocaine (four counts)
- Prince Oghenevwegba Doghor, 22
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Shots
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cannabis
- Martin Cabrera Santos, 28
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Taco Kat
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Joel Jesoel Sanchez, 22
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Fixtion Restaurant and Bar
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Brandon Smith, 32
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Room 22
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Daniel Jusino Garcia, 29
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Taco Kat
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
- Christian Rivera, 24
- Sold illegal narcotics to undercover officers at Monkey Bar
- Charges: Sale/delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine
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