Inwood's La Marina Shut Down By State, Officials Say

INWOOD, NY — Inwood's troubled party spot La Marina was shut down Thursday by the New York State Liquor Authority, officials announced.

La Marina will no longer be allowed to serve alcohol and the state will pursue a permanent revocation of the businesses' liquor license, officials said. State officials cited the recent arrest of a bar manager for narcotics trafficking and numerous violation of state liquor laws as the reason for the emergency license suspension.

Christian Mendez, 33, was arrested outside the Dyckman Street business in November and charged with seven counts of the criminal sale of a controlled substance. Mendez is accused of using La Marina as a drug den and sold large quantities of cocaine, oxycodone and marijuana to undercover officers at the business.

"When a bar manager is able to traffic and sell these types and quantities of narcotics from within an establishment it is incredibly alarming, and it is evidence of the serious threat that this establishment poses to the health, safety, and welfare of its patrons and the community," State Liquor Authority Counsel Christopher R. Riano said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the State Liquor Authority charged La Marina with an additional sixteen violations of the state's alcoholic beverage control laws including operating a disorderly premises and fire, health and safety code violations.

La Marina was shuttered by the city Health Department in July after a miserable inspection grade. Inspectors closed the popular party spot for unsanitary handling of food, evidence of mice and flies and improperly installed or maintained plumbing, according to city records. That same month, a crackdown led by the NYPD and State Liquor Authority resulted in La Marina being charged with 72 violations of the state liquor law.

La Marina opened in 2012 after its owners struck a deal with the city to open the business on land owned by the city Parks Department. Business owners pay the city to operate on what was once public parkland located where Inwood Hill Park meets Fort Tryon Park along the Hudson River.

Photo by Google Maps street view