Owner of Beaver County restaurant charged with drug crimes after raid

NEW BRIGHTON, Pa. — Two weeks after a drug raid on Fifth Avenue Taphouse in New Brighton, police have charged the owner of the restaurant with drug crimes.

Police arrested Raed “Ron” Jaber Friday morning and charged him with dealing drugs out of his restaurant.

The arrest comes after the Attorney General’s Office, State Police, Beaver County Drug Task Force, New Brighton Police and the DEA raided the restaurant.

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“Those charges were filed, and then he was picked up this morning on his way to work,” said Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible.

Photos provided to Channel 11 show a traffic stop near the YMCA on Route 65 where Jaber was taken into custody.

When Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek stopped by the restaurant Friday, an employee shouted obscenities and claimed police found nothing.

Police, however, said they found 12 individual bags of cocaine, suspected vials of illegal steroids, a scale, and $10,000 in cash in Jaber’s office at the restaurant.

Police said they also found nearly a quarter of a pound of cocaine and more illegal steroids in a house next door that Raber also owns.

“Further, there were several times where patrons in the restaurant that were in their eating or drinking saw Ron Jaber selling drugs to other individuals,” Bible said.

The restaurant is still open. Bible said they started on paperwork this week to have Fifth Avenue Taphouse shut down.

They’re still working on analyzing phone data to determine if anyone else will face charges.

“You don’t just wave a magic wand and shut businesses down. That’s just not the way the judicial system works,” Bible said. “In this case, the allegation is drugs were being sold from the restaurant. The restaurant was being used as a criminal organization. That is what the allegations will be in that petition; he will receive a hearing before any of that action takes place.”

The District Attorney also praised the community for submitting tips to police, in this case, and others across Beaver County.

“We always encourage, please, any time you see anything, hear anything, please come forward with those tips, because sometimes it leads to arrests like this,” Bible said.

Jaber is scheduled for a hearing in October.

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