The manager of a 23rd Street nightclub that caters to Hispanics has lost her beer sales permit permanently after racking up six violations in less than a month.
In a rare move, the Chattanooga Beer and Wrecker Board voted 8-1 to revoke the permit after Sandra Madrigal, the manager of El As De Oros, failed to provide adequate reasons why police had found cocaine and a gun at the club and other infractions over a four-week period.
“I just think it’s unfair, the decision that they made, but I will appeal,” Madrigal said after the Thursday meeting.
She has 60 days to appeal through either Circuit or Chancery Court.
On Aug. 14, police were called to El As De Oros and found a gun outside the club. When they asked Madrigal to empty her pockets, they said they discovered a bag of cocaine. During a search of the club, they found bags of other narcotics behind the bar, police said.
On Sept. 10-11, police said they found customers and unpaid employees at the bar who were underage or did not possess proper identification.
Beer sales permit holders must buy beer from wholesalers, but police said they also twice caught Madrigal purchasing beer at a retail store to sell at the club.
“What is this, Jerry Springer?” Beer Board member Christopher Keene asked Thursday.
Acting on each violation individually, the board voted for two three-day suspensions, then a 10-day suspension, then decided to revoke the permit permanently. Most violations result in either warnings or a three-day suspension.
Before recommending revocation of the permit, board member Kathy Jones spoke directly to Madrigal, who stood at a podium, answering the board’s questions.
“It’s just one thing after another,” she said. “There’s cocaine on premises, there’s a gun at your door, there’s 25 or 30 people congregating in the parking lot. It’s just crazy.”