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The Riverhead Town Police Department, together with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s East End Drug Task Force, executed a search warrant at the La Perla Restaurant and Bar on East Main Street on Thursday, Feb. 29.
It followed a six-month investigation by undercover detectives sparked by community complaints of illegal drug activity inside the business, police said.
Investigators determined that not only was cocaine regularly being sold at the restaurant, but a manager, Eliseo Quintanilla, was allowing it to happen, police said.
Quintanilla, age 43, of Manorville, was arrested on Thursday, April 4, on suspicion of criminal nuisance for allegedly maintaining a premises where persons gather to engage in unlawful conduct.
Also arrested were 33-year-old Coram resident Christopher Contreras and 32-year-old Bohemia resident James Wicks. Both are charged with multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, identified as cocaine.
The New York State Liquor Authority was also present for the search and will address any violations of Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
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