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Undercover Cop Details His Seven Drug Buys At Bar 118 In Morgan Park

By  Howard Ludwig and Erica Demarest | August 24, 2016 8:10am 

 Bar 118 opened in Morgan Park in April 2015. Neighbors have voiced concerns to Ald. Matt O'Shea ever since, he said.
Bar 118 opened in Morgan Park in April 2015. Neighbors have voiced concerns to Ald. Matt O'Shea ever since, he said.
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DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig

MORGAN PARK — An undercover police officer detailed drug deals involving marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy pills at Bar 118 in Morgan Park during a disciplinary hearing Tuesday morning at City Hall.

The officer testified to making seven drug buys over the course of 3½ months at the tavern at 11848 S. Western Ave. The bar has been closed since Aug. 5 after a raid by the Chicago Police Department's Narcotics Unit.

The officer discussed the drug deals as part of a licensing hearing to decide if the tavern will be allowed to reopen. A 30-day suspension of Bar 118's license from the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection expires Sept. 3.

Nobody from Bar 118 attended the hearing. Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) was in Room 805 as the proceedings began and left hopeful that the testimony would result in the closure of the tavern that's generated complaints for nearly a year, he said.

 The Chicago Police Department's Narcotics Unit raided Bar 118 in Morgan Park Aug. 5 and made four arrests. Arrested were (clockwise from top left), Naikia Johnson, 41, of south suburban Blue Island, Alvin Phillips, 32, of Bronzeville, Marvin Williams, 24, of Oakland and Tyesha Bozetta Oliver, 36, of south suburban Calumet Park.
The Chicago Police Department's Narcotics Unit raided Bar 118 in Morgan Park Aug. 5 and made four arrests. Arrested were (clockwise from top left), Naikia Johnson, 41, of south suburban Blue Island, Alvin Phillips, 32, of Bronzeville, Marvin Williams, 24, of Oakland and Tyesha Bozetta Oliver, 36, of south suburban Calumet Park.
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DNAinfo/Supplied Photos

"I think we've seen the last of Bar 118," O'Shea said, adding that he'd like to see the liquor license at that location permanently revoked.

The undercover officer said he first entered Bar 118 on April 19 and asked about buying marijuana. He returned four days later and spoke to the bartender, Tyesha Bozetta Oliver, 36, of south suburban Calumet Park, about buying two small bags of marijuana, weighing about 3.5 grams each.

That's when he noticed Bar 118's security guards: Naikia "Bumpy" Johnson, 41, of south suburban Blue Island and Marvin Williams, also known as "Bam," 24, of Oakland. After paying Oliver for the marijuana at the bar, Williams met the officer in an alley and handed him $40 worth of marijuana.

The officer returned to the bar six more times through Aug. 2 to buy drugs from Johnson and Williams. He bought increasing amounts of marijuana, specifically requesting a particularly potent form of the drug, known as "loud."

The officer said he bought ecstasy and cocaine at Bar 118, too. Some ecstasy pills were green and known as "Louis Vuittons." Others were called "Instagrams" and were branded with the logo of the photo-sharing website.

On May 13, the officer said he bought a mix of 100 such pills for $400 and an ounce of marijuana for $300 from Williams. It was during this transaction that the officer saw the owner of the bar. He asked Williams if their drug deal would be in jeopardy as a result.

"I've been doing this for years. Don't worry about it," the officer recalled Williams saying.

This deal and several others occurred in the back office of the bar. The biggest drug buy happened there June 10 and included 79.6 grams of marijuana, along with cocaine for $1,650, the officer said.

The details of the police raid were not included in the testimony for the hearing. But according to previous reports made by police, Johnson, Williams and Oliver were all arrested on drug charges that night, along with Alvin Phillips, 32, of Bronzeville.

In addition to drugs, a gun was found on Johnson, and he was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon for the second time. All four people charged will return to court at 9 a.m. Thursday.

The fate of the bar's liquor license likely will be decided in the coming days, according to the hearing officer who presided over the proceedings Tuesday.

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