OXNARD : Bar in Drug Sting Loses Liquor License

State alcohol-control officers on Wednesday permanently barred the owners of an Oxnard restaurant and bar from selling alcoholic beverages on the premises.

Agents with the Alcohol and Beverage Control posted a notice at Terraza Casino in south Oxnard notifying customers the establishment would no longer be allowed to serve beer, wine or distilled spirits, said Morris Bernard, an investigator with the ABC bureau in Santa Barbara.

The restaurant’s license was revoked because ABC agents, working with the Oxnard Police Department, discovered large amounts of cocaine on the premises two years ago, including inside an office, Bernard said.

Undercover officers also were able to purchase cocaine from employees at the establishment in a sting operation two years ago, said Sgt. Bob Elder, who worked on the case.

Those employees were convicted on drug charges, Elder said. The downtown area where the Terraza Casino is located is a notorious haven for drug sales, he said.

Owners Lorenzo Castillo and Jaime Sandoval failed in an attempt to appeal ABC’s decision to revoke their liquor license, Bernard said. He said he did not know if the revocation of the license would put the pair out of business.

Neither Castillo nor Sandoval could be reached for comment Wednesday.