A routine State Liquor Authority inspection at El Cuscatleco, a sports bar at 137A Broadway in Huntington Station, turned into a drug bust late Friday night, with the bar's manager cited and two customers arrested on suspected cocaine possession, according to Suffolk County police. Officers took William Alas, 49, and Exon Ruano-Contreras, 30, into custody on criminal possession of a controlled substance charges, while manager David Banegas-Rodriguez, 43, was charged with Disorderly Premise. Town of Huntington fire marshals and code inspectors also issued multiple building and safety violations, and one suspect was held overnight at the Third Precinct.
Those details appear in a police release and were reported by Daily Voice, which says the inspection began at about 11:05 p.m. on Friday. According to the outlet, Banegas-Rodriguez was issued two tickets for State Liquor Authority violations, Alas was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the fifth degree and held overnight, and Ruano-Contreras was charged with Criminal Possession in the seventh degree, with court dates set for Feb. 28 and March 19. The release says Second Precinct Crime Section officers worked alongside State Liquor Authority agents and town inspectors during the check.
A Recurring Focus for Inspectors
El Cuscatleco has been the subject of repeated compliance checks in recent years, with prior inspections prompting citations and arrests at the same Broadway address. Local coverage shows an October 2025 inspection that cited the manager and produced multiple building, fire, and code violations, and earlier 2024 checks that also ended in arrests by county police. TBR News Media documented those earlier actions.
What the Charges Mean
Under New York law, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree is a class D felony and criminal possession in the seventh degree is a class A misdemeanor. The statutes set quantity and intent thresholds for fifth degree cases and treat seventh degree possession as unlawful possession of any amount of a controlled substance. See N.Y. Penal Law §220.06 on the New York State Senate website and §220.03 on the New York State Senate website for the text of those provisions, and past Suffolk County police releases note that Disorderly Premise charges are handled under the state ABC laws and can trigger separate building and code enforcement actions.
What’s Next
The State Liquor Authority and town inspectors can pursue administrative penalties and further investigations if their follow-up finds violations at the establishment. The three people arrested are due to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on the dates listed in the police release, and the matter will proceed through arraignment and the normal court process; the case remains an active police and agency investigation, according to Daily Voice.
