Two arrested in drug bust at Providence waterfront restaurant

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

@BBuonoABC6

Providence’s popular waterfront restaurant Tel Aviv Bar and Tapas is now at the center of a large drug bust. In a raid Friday night, the Providence Police Narcotics Bureau seized thousands of dollars in cash and a large amount of cocaine.

"It was a place where we believe narcotics was being dealt,” said Major David Lapatin of the Providence Police Department.

Police searched the restaurant, multiple cars and a boat docked just across the street from Tel Aviv at the Fox Point Marina.

"We’ve been watching it for sometime so it was going on for awhile,” Lapatin said.

So far, two arrests have been made. Thirty-nine-year-old restaurant manager Theo Spyridis and frequent customer 47-year-old Antonio Reverdes. Several others were brought in for questioning.

"It was a good amount of cocaine and a significant amount of cash and it was good work by the narcotics bureau,” said Lapatin.

The Board of Licenses will meet next week to decide the future of the restaurant. In the meantime, it will remain open for business.

At this point, no word if the owner of the restaurant was involved. Police say the two men arrested will be arraigned sometime next week.

© WLNE-TV 2016