Simi Restaurant Owner Arrested

The owner of China Express Restaurant in Simi Valley has been arrested on suspicion of selling cocaine to patrons, police said Friday.

Danny Chow, 40, was taken into custody late Thursday after a search of his eatery at 1101 E. Los Angeles Ave. turned up three ounces of cocaine that police valued at about $8,400, Simi Valley Police Sgt. Fred James said.

The same day, Chow’s Simi Valley home at 796 Azure Hills Drive also was searched and officers seized $2,200 in cash believed to be profits from drug sales, authorities said.

Chow was booked into jail Thursday night but has since posted bail, a deputy at the jail said. Within two weeks, Chow is expected to be arraigned on felony charges of possessing and selling cocaine, officers said.

Also arrested at the restaurant Thursday night was Simi Valley resident Jose Pablo Rodriguez Quezada, who was reportedly carrying about $2,200 worth of cocaine, James said. Quezada also has posted bail.

The arrests followed a three-month undercover operation by Simi Valley officers, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and agents from the state Department of Alcohol Beverage Control.

During that time, undercover officers posing as customers bought cocaine from Chow, James said.