Drug Conviction Costs Owner Liquor License

A drug conviction has cost the owner of a Van Nuys restaurant his liquor license, officials at the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said Friday.

Roberto Chavez, 30, pleaded no contest in February 1996 to possession of cocaine for sale. The Bell resident, who ran Rimini Italian Restaurant in the 14000 block of Victory Boulevard, had been arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after buying $18,000 worth of cocaine from an undercover officer. He later was sentenced to six months in jail and three years’ probation.

After sentencing, state alcohol officials took steps to revoke Chavez’s license, said department spokesman Carl DeWing. The action stalled while Chavez appealed the revocation order, resuming earlier this year when he failed to appear at the appeal hearing.

The restaurant has been closed for several months, DeWing said, but “we had to take this action because we were afraid he might reopen it.”

The revocation applies only to Rimini, but DeWing said any application for a new license filed by Chavez would probably be denied.

“When you’re convicted of a felony, it’s all over,” DeWing said.

DeWing said the department seldom revokes licenses, usually opting for other penalties ranging from warning letters to fines to license suspensions.

“Only about 5% of some 70,000 licensees in the state of California cause any problems,” he said.