Post by IAMCAPER on Jun 26, 2004 18:13:32 GMT -4
A Sydney bar has had its liquor license suspended for 15 days after inspections found it was selling illegal hooch.
Busteers Dining Room and Lounge was raided by inspectors from the Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming Authority on April 7.
Officers did a stock check of the bar’s liquor supply and found a large cache of illegally obtained booze.
None of the dozens of bottles of hard liquor and beer, or the two boxes of wine, had stickers issued by the authority, which would indicate they were purchased legally.
The products were seized and have since been destroyed.
Inspectors also found nine empty beer cases stacked in the kitchen. None of the cases were stickered.
Bars and restaurants in Nova Scotia must purchase licenses to legally buy booze from the liquor corporation. They are charged a three per cent fee on top of the cost of their purchases.
On April 16, inspectors returned and found stock on the shelves marked with February purchase stickers, but owner Kevin Morrison was unable to produce purchase slips. It was later determined the booze was bought in January.
The next day, officers demanded an explanation and receipt, neither of which Morrison could provide.
More booze was seized, including three 1.75-litre bottles of Ron Carioca Rum and a 1.75-litre bottle labelled vodka.
In an agreed statement of facts, Morrison said he emptied the bottles and filled them with water because he knew the inspection was coming.
“He stated that it was his intention to buy retail liquor, empty the water out of the stickered bottles and refill them with liquor purchased off license for resale,” the statement said.
It was the only way Morrison could have bought his booze, because his purchasing licence had been suspended after he bounced a cheque to Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. in December 2002.
Inspectors also found other problems with the bar stock.
Sitting on a shelf was a 40-ounce bottle of Hudson Bay Scotch Whiskey, a product not sold in Nova Scotia since 1986.
They also found an imperial-quart bottle of J&B Scotch Whiskey that hasn’t been sold “since the mid-1970s, when Canada changed to the metric system.”
The suspension began June 10 and runs until Thursday. The bar’s video lottery terminals must be turned off during the suspension.
Busteers Dining Room and Lounge was raided by inspectors from the Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming Authority on April 7.
Officers did a stock check of the bar’s liquor supply and found a large cache of illegally obtained booze.
None of the dozens of bottles of hard liquor and beer, or the two boxes of wine, had stickers issued by the authority, which would indicate they were purchased legally.
The products were seized and have since been destroyed.
Inspectors also found nine empty beer cases stacked in the kitchen. None of the cases were stickered.
Bars and restaurants in Nova Scotia must purchase licenses to legally buy booze from the liquor corporation. They are charged a three per cent fee on top of the cost of their purchases.
On April 16, inspectors returned and found stock on the shelves marked with February purchase stickers, but owner Kevin Morrison was unable to produce purchase slips. It was later determined the booze was bought in January.
The next day, officers demanded an explanation and receipt, neither of which Morrison could provide.
More booze was seized, including three 1.75-litre bottles of Ron Carioca Rum and a 1.75-litre bottle labelled vodka.
In an agreed statement of facts, Morrison said he emptied the bottles and filled them with water because he knew the inspection was coming.
“He stated that it was his intention to buy retail liquor, empty the water out of the stickered bottles and refill them with liquor purchased off license for resale,” the statement said.
It was the only way Morrison could have bought his booze, because his purchasing licence had been suspended after he bounced a cheque to Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. in December 2002.
Inspectors also found other problems with the bar stock.
Sitting on a shelf was a 40-ounce bottle of Hudson Bay Scotch Whiskey, a product not sold in Nova Scotia since 1986.
They also found an imperial-quart bottle of J&B Scotch Whiskey that hasn’t been sold “since the mid-1970s, when Canada changed to the metric system.”
The suspension began June 10 and runs until Thursday. The bar’s video lottery terminals must be turned off during the suspension.