It was a bad weekend to be running an unlicensed bar in Durham. State alcohol agents and Durham police hit an alleged underground booze spot at 603 Ellis Road, seizing guns, drugs and stacks of liquor, and hauling away several people in cuffs. Officials say the address has become a magnet for trouble, including a July 5 shooting that wounded multiple patrons, and the raid was one piece of a citywide push to clamp down on illegal hangouts linked to violence.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) special agents and Durham police served a search warrant at the Ellis Road property and recovered three firearms, opioids and liquor. One of the guns was found on a convicted felon and another had previously been reported stolen, the agency said. The department added that the broader operation, carried out with the State Highway Patrol, the Durham County Sheriff's Office and Durham Police, resulted in more than 30 arrests across the city along with the seizure of fentanyl, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine, other opioids and 11 firearms. ALE Director Bryan House said in the release that the agency is leaning on its partnerships with local law enforcement to keep pressure on problem spots.
As reported by ABC11, the warrant led to a stack of charges. The outlet reported that owner Travis Davon Miller, 30, is accused of misdemeanor counts of possessing and selling alcoholic beverages without a permit and selling non-taxpaid alcohol. An employee, 37-year-old Kiara Jevon Johnson, was cited on related misdemeanor alcohol charges. ABC11 also identified 38-year-old Tony Darnell Crews as charged with felony possession of a stolen firearm and named 31-year-old Amir Mouffasah Abdullah and 41-year-old Bryant Lynn Gooch as facing felony drug and weapons counts, respectively.
According to the state release, law enforcement has executed multiple search warrants at the Ellis Road address since 2024. Investigators link the site to a long list of serious crimes, including homicides, shootings, aggravated assaults, thefts and weapons violations. Most recently, officers responded to a July 5 shooting at the business where several patrons were injured, according to the agency.
Charges and legal fallout
The case file from the raid reads like a sampler platter of criminal law, from low-level alcohol violations to felonies that could bring hefty prison time if prosecutors press forward and win convictions. As detailed by ABC11, Abdullah faces charges that include maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance and possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a Schedule II substance. Prosecutors will decide which charges to formally pursue as the cases move through the court system.
What officials say
Officials are framing the raid as part of a coordinated strategy to cut into violent crime by targeting unlicensed alcohol operations and the illegal activity that can cluster around them. ALE leadership pointed to cooperation with Durham police and other partners and said the division will keep using its authority over both licensed ABC businesses and illegal alcohol spots to go after locations that generate violent incidents.
What comes next
For now, the Ellis Road bar is quiet, but the paperwork is just getting started. Authorities say processing of evidence and follow-up investigations are ongoing, and they have left the door open to additional arrests or charges as they sort through what they seized. City and state agencies involved in the operation have not yet provided a schedule for any court hearings or potential nuisance abatement actions tied to the property.
