Smartie Artie's is dry. For now.
The state Liquor Control Board has slapped a $2,000 fine on the popular Plum bar and restaurant and suspended its liquor license for five days in the wake of citations issued over alleged cocaine sales there earlier this year.
The suspension started Monday and runs through Friday, LCB spokeswoman Molly McGowan said. The bar must post the suspension notice, she said. Bar owners paid the fine Oct. 14, McGowan said.
Under LCB guidelines, fines could have ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, and the bar's liquor license could have been revoked, McGowan said.
While the punishment could have been worse, the bar's future remains uncertain.
Smartie Artie's received only conditional approval in May on its liquor license renewal application. The LCB has yet to schedule a hearing to determine if the bar's license will be renewed for the rest of a two-year term. The board still could opt to revoke the license.
Arthur Sciullo co-owns Smartie Artie's Restaurant & Back Room on Route 286 with his 43-year-old son, Joseph.
The troubles at the bar began Jan. 9 when Plum police and the Allegheny County District Attorney's Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested Joseph Sciullo, of Justine Drive, and Frank Spena, 42, of Briar Ridge Drive in Turtle Creek, on drug charges.
The pair are free on their own recognizance and face trial Nov. 26 before Allegheny County Judge Gerard M. Bigley, said Mike Manko, a District Attorney's Office spokesman. There were $10,000 in drug deals made at the bar, police said.
The LCB in April hit Smartie Artie's with a two-count citation over the alleged drug deals. The bar waived a hearing on the charges, McGowan said.
Arthur Sciullo since has applied to the LCB to establish a new corporation in which he'd be the sole shareholder, McGowan said. A decision on that request also remains on hold.
Plum Mayor John Schmeck said he and other borough officials are particularly concerned about Smartie Artie's because young people go there to eat and play video games.
"My main concern is (stopping) the distribution of drugs -- especially to young children," Schmeck said. "My interest is stopping the distribution of narcotics, not putting anyone out of business."
