CHRISTOPHER KNAUS
canberratimes.com.au
ACT police raided the bar in October.The manager of London Burgers and Beer, Tony Soprano, has lashed out at police, describing a drug raid last month as a ''joke'', which had severely impacted on the business. Organised crime detectives raided the Civic restaurant in late October after receiving a tip-off. They spent a day searching the venue for any link to illicit drugs.
No charges have been laid and no one has been arrested.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, Mr Soprano described the police raid as a ''big mistake'', which constituted an ''outright attack'' on the business.
The London Circuit premises shut down for more than a week after the incident, following probes from health and work safety agencies.
Those inquiries were reported to have found minor breaches, mostly relating to emergency exits.
''The raid was a joke, to put it mildly. The things that we eventually got shut down for were even more of a joke, to be honest with you,'' Mr Soprano said.
''When you've got 20-odd police officers in suits, confining you to a booth, while they go through the place from head to toe for 6 hours and find absolutely nothing, it makes you wonder what they base their information on.''
But ACT Policing maintains it is continuing its investigation and is still analysing items seized from London Burgers and Beer.
Mr Soprano said police took a video recorder hooked up to security cameras, and had interviewed all of the business's staff.
ACT Policing said it was not investigating any link between London Burgers and Beer and the Rebels Motorcycle Club.
However, it would not say whether detectives had believed the venue had an association with the Rebels before the raid.
Mr Soprano emphatically dismissed any link between the two.
''The Rebels have no interest in London Burgers and Beer, it's got nothing to do with the bikie club, it's just a business on its own,'' Mr Soprano said.
''It's got shareholders and directors. The London Burgers and Beer is not in any way, shape or form, owned by the Rebels Motorcycle Club,'' he said.
He said the business would remain at the London Circuit site for the long-term, and there were plans to expand it as a franchise.
The raid had hurt the business financially.
''At the end of the day, all it was was a major hindrance, a disturbance, and an outright attack on the business ...,'' Mr Soprano said.
''We had to keep our staff on wages for over a week even though we weren't open, because people have families to worry about. Effectively, it cost us a lot of money.''
No charges have been laid and no one has been arrested.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, Mr Soprano described the police raid as a ''big mistake'', which constituted an ''outright attack'' on the business.
The London Circuit premises shut down for more than a week after the incident, following probes from health and work safety agencies.
Those inquiries were reported to have found minor breaches, mostly relating to emergency exits.
''The raid was a joke, to put it mildly. The things that we eventually got shut down for were even more of a joke, to be honest with you,'' Mr Soprano said.
''When you've got 20-odd police officers in suits, confining you to a booth, while they go through the place from head to toe for 6 hours and find absolutely nothing, it makes you wonder what they base their information on.''
But ACT Policing maintains it is continuing its investigation and is still analysing items seized from London Burgers and Beer.
Mr Soprano said police took a video recorder hooked up to security cameras, and had interviewed all of the business's staff.
ACT Policing said it was not investigating any link between London Burgers and Beer and the Rebels Motorcycle Club.
However, it would not say whether detectives had believed the venue had an association with the Rebels before the raid.
Mr Soprano emphatically dismissed any link between the two.
''The Rebels have no interest in London Burgers and Beer, it's got nothing to do with the bikie club, it's just a business on its own,'' Mr Soprano said.
''It's got shareholders and directors. The London Burgers and Beer is not in any way, shape or form, owned by the Rebels Motorcycle Club,'' he said.
He said the business would remain at the London Circuit site for the long-term, and there were plans to expand it as a franchise.
The raid had hurt the business financially.
''At the end of the day, all it was was a major hindrance, a disturbance, and an outright attack on the business ...,'' Mr Soprano said.
''We had to keep our staff on wages for over a week even though we weren't open, because people have families to worry about. Effectively, it cost us a lot of money.''
