JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Two arrests were made after undercover detectives entered a hidden nightclub in a strip mall off Baymeadows Road early Saturday morning, finding more than 100 people inside and underage people being served alcohol.
The business, known as Illyrian Roots, is tucked between a barbershop and a restaurant in the plaza at Baymeadows and San Jose Boulevard. On Facebook, the business markets itself as an Albanian social club.
A cease and desist notice is posted on the window of the business after detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Narcotics and Vice Units went into the establishment just before 2 a.m. Saturday.
According to an arrest report, detectives said a couch was used to block the front entrance of the business from the inside. Detectives went to the rear entrance which opens into an alleyway behind the strip mall.
While the rear entrance was locked, the report states detectives were able to gain entry. Once inside, the report said detectives counted 105 people inside the club.
Police made two arrests at the club: 39-year-old Erika Marina Jimenez and 33-year-old Alonso Cruz.
Police said Jimenez was the property renter, and that she was issued six civil citations by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
According to the report, Jimenez also faces three charges:
- A third-degree felony for failure to comply, relating to the rear entrance door which only opened inward.
- A second-degree misdemeanor for "keeping and maintaining a place where alcoholic beverages are sold illegally."
- A second-degree misdemeanor for selling alcohol to people under 21 years old.
Cruz faces the same two misdemeanor charges relating to the illegal sale of alcohol. His arrest report can be viewed here:
As of Wednesday afternoon, Jimenez had bonded out of jail while Cruz remains detained on an immigration hold.
Business owners who did not want to be interviewed said they often saw a number of cars in the parking lot late at night, and people coming and going from the alley behind the strip mall.
On Aug. 8, First Coast News responded to an EARS notification from JSO that police were working a shooting scene at the same strip mall. At the time, police said a Hispanic man in his 40s was shot in the chest in the alleyway. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.