‘Drug bar’ owner, 31 employees charged

MANILA, Philippines — The owner of a bar in Makati City and 31 employees were charged yesterday after police seized at least P1.7 million worth of party drugs during last Friday’s raid.

Burton Joseph Server, owner of Time Bar on Makati Avenue, and the employees arrested during the raid were charged with maintenance of a drug den, said Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director.

Several other employees, including bar manager Danilo Regino, face separate charges of drug pushing and possession of illegal drugs, Eleazar added. 

Server was not around at the time of the raid.

Aside from Server and Regino, those who were charged before the city prosecutor’s office were Dick Corpus, Rey Quinio, Julius Salazar, Darwin Caracas, Alvin Gayatgay, Edwin Bengo, Melissa Calderon, Evangeline Roxas, Mary Delfin, Helen Pagulayan, Marilyn Luzon, Alejandro Trajano, Jardine Ronald Bautista, Jo-Anthony Detera, Raul Perez, Mervin Pagurayan, Raymond Regino, Jose Marasigan, Marvin Teru, Paul Adrian Cuadra, Marvin Mercado, Danilo Regino, Frederick Villaruel, Ian Christopher Hamon, Arnel Esteban, Emmanuel dela Peña, Orlando Murillo, Reynaldo Santos Deduque, Patrick John Lee, Rolando Muñoz and Sonny Abrio.

Eleazar added that the 57 foreigners and 63 Filipinos who were invited for questioning were released Friday but will be subject to further investigation.

“Once we establish that the bar is operating as a drug den, we would file a case for visiting a drug den against them,” said Eleazar in an interview.

Chief Superintendent Tomas Apolinario, director of the Southern Police District (SPD), is applying for a search warrant to open two vaults in Regino’s office, which they suspect to contain illegal drugs.

“We wanted to open the two vaults at Regino’s office but he refused to cooperate so we are applying for a search warrant for us to see its contents,” said Eleazar.

The two vaults are being guarded by police officers.

During the raid, the SPD recovered 19 capsules and tablets of ecstasy worth P142,500, 18 sachets of cocaine valued at P1.575 million, a sachet of Kush marijuana leaves, drug paraphernalia, a .38 caliber revolver and a CCTV storage device.

The illegal drugs were recovered from the chairs and tables of customers, the NCRPO chief said.

Eleazar said the P22,500 drug money was recovered from Regino.

“From what we gathered in our investigation… in one way or another, (the employees) conspired with the bar manager in the distribution of illegal drugs inside the bar,” Eleazar said.