'Blatant' Drug Activity Said Danbury's Worst

DANBURY -- Law enforcement authorities on Wednesday shut down a former cop
bar that allegedly became a virtual supermarket for illegal drugs.

Just after 4:30 p.m., detectives from the police department's Special
Investigations Division, accompanied by a representative from the Chief
State's Attorney's Office, entered the Brasil Total Restaurant on Center
Street, ordered patrons and employees to leave, and closed the bar under
the state's nuisance abatement law.

The shutdown came less than a month after a police raid on the bar led to
the arrests of a dozen people for narcotics trafficking.

"There was blatant drug dealing," said Detective Sgt. James Fisher. "It was
worse than any bar I've seen in the city."

Both Brasil Total and its predecessor at the site, Antonio's, were the
subject of citizen complaints and police activity for years, police said.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the establishment, less than a block from police
headquarters and then known as Delmar's, was a favorite watering hole for
off-duty officers.

The nuisance abatement law is designed to spur the cleanup of properties
that have become a magnet for illegal activity, and require that three or
more arrests be made over one year. In the nine months prior to the April
raid, undercover officers went to the bar 17 times, and made 32 separate
buys of either cocaine or marijuana.

About a half-dozen patrons and a bartender were at the bar Wednesday when
police came in. All were allowed to leave, except for one man, who had an
outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court on a drunken driving
charge, Fisher said.

At any one time, from four to eight drug dealers could be found plying
their trade at the Brasil Total, Detective Luis Ramos said.

Most drug transactions took place in the bathroom or around the pool
tables, and dealers stashed their drugs between the pages of newspapers
piled atop a cigarette machine or in magnetic cases affixed to its
underside or back, he said.

At least one person arrested as a result of the April raid appeared to be
an employee of the establishment, police said.

Fisher identified the bar owners as Sandra DaSilva, the permittee, who
served in a similar capacity when the establishment was known as Antonio's,
and Gary Venancio, who is a partner or owner in several other Danbury area
bars.

DaSilva, who arrived a short time after police, refused to comment about
the action.

The owners were ordered to appear in Danbury Superior Court at 9:30 a.m.
Monday, when a judge will decide when the establishment will be allowed to
reopen.

But chances are no matter what the court decides, Brasil Total won't be
there much longer, according to the bar's landlord. The property is owned by

St. Peter Catholic Church on Main Street, and parishioners use the lot for
parking during Sunday services.

The Rev. Albert D. Audette, who took over as pastor at St. Peter a few
weeks ago, said he wants to evict the bar, tear down the one-story brick
building and put up a two-level parking garage.

Audette said he inspected the establishment only last Friday, and was
surprised to find no refrigerators or cooking appliances in the kitchen.

"It's supposed to be a restaurant, and it's not. Drugs are a national
disgrace, and this is something the church doesn't want to be involved in,"
he said.