Restaurant Owner Sold Drugs From St. Pete Japanese Steakhouse: PCSO

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The owner of a St. Petersburg restaurant is accused of selling drugs from the business, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrest records.

Hai Thanh Bui, 40, of Pinellas Park, the owner of Oishi Sushi & Japanese Steakhouse at 5800 34th Street, was arrested early Friday morning and faces multiple felony charges, records show.

Prior to his arrest, he sold drugs to an undercover agent with the sheriff’s office, according to his arrest affidavits.

Investigators who raided the restaurant Friday on a search warrant just before 1:30 a.m. found 750 grams of cocaine, 985.5 grams of MDMA (ecstasy), 65 grams of ketamine, 10 grams of Adderall and 20 grams of oxycodone in a safe, the affidavits show.

Bui had the key to the safe on him at the time of his arrest, PCSO said.

A digital scale and small plastic bags, items that “are commonly used for the weighing and packaging of narcotics for street-level sales,” were also found at the restaurant, the agency said.

Investigators also found two rifles and five handguns in an RV on the property, records show. The RV was locked, and deputies opened it using keys found in the restaurant.

Two other people were at the restaurant at the time of Bui’s arrest. He told deputies that they were workers hired for a remodeling project at the building. They said they had no access to the RV and didn’t know about the guns, according to records.

Bui was also accused of selling stolen goods, including a pressure washer and a water heater, from Café 34, located nearby at 5944 34th Street N.