CITRUS HEIGHTS - A Citrus Heights bar and grill is now closed following a lengthy undercover drug investigation by California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents which concluded with the arrests of two employees accused of selling cocaine on the premises.

ABC Agents served a search warrant at the Inferno Sports Bar & Grill on February 18, 2016 after undercover agents purchased 17.5 grams of cocaine from premises employees.  During the investigation, ABC Agents purchased cocaine from three different premises employees seven times over a four-month period. ABC obtained a search warrant for the bar and suspects’ vehicle.  Three arrest warrants were issued for the premises employees. One suspect is still at large. On the day of the search warrant, Agents from Redding, Stockton and the ABC Headquarters Trade Enforcement Unit (TEU) assisted.

The city of Citrus Heights also assisted and issued penalties against the bar and grill's business permit.

"This is a very important, and also dangerous, function of ABC agents," said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  CSLEA represents ABC agents, along with 7,000 other law enforcement, public safety and consumer protection professionals who work for the state of California.  "ABC agents must work undercover as drug buyers and become trusted by drug dealers.  To do this for months at a time for each investigation can be taxing and certainly puts the safety of those agents at risk."

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ABC