For the time being, law enforcement officers are powerless against the organizers of illegal night parties. It concludes entrepreneurs who comply with government requirements for early working hours.
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Shortly before midnight, law-abiding entertainment venues, such as the KadagiPiens Club, turn off the music and ask visitors to leave. The door is locked.
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“As soon as they set the limit until midnight, the turnover dropped by 40%. In fact, they meet – we already have to work with a minus,” says Ģirts Upītis, co-owner of the club “KadagiPiens”.
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Some nightlife enthusiasts do not go home as soon as midnight arrives. They are looking for underground activities. And also finds. Since the entry into force of the working time restrictions, several groups of people have appeared in Riga, who organize illegal parties until 6 in the morning.
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“People want to party, and they go to underground places, hidden events, clubs that do not display, closed windows. It deprives us. They ask for entrance fees, work without cash registers,” reveals Upitis.
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The first Latvian nightclub “Coyote Fly” raised the first alarm about it. While honest taxpayers suffer losses, illegal workers make a profit. Coyote Fly is surprised that neither the State Police nor the municipal police actively go on raids at illegal parties.
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“This is not just about unpaid taxes, illegally employed people, but also about the general situation that is destroying the entertainment industry in Latvia. Since the beginning of the state of emergency, these places continue to work illegally until 6 am. We do not understand the meaning of , if there is no targeting of underground places as potential foci of the virus, “says Liene Bukbārde, the head of the nightclub” Coyote Fly “.
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One visitor of the underground events admitted to TV3 Ziņām – no checks are given for drinks, cash registers are not used, the State Revenue Service (SRS) cannot initiate anything against such underground events. You must first wait for a report from the police that you have been engaged in an economic activity outside the permitted working hours. The sale of alcoholic beverages is also illegal.
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Evita Teice-Mamaja, the chief public relations specialist of the SRS, explains: “Depending on the nature and gravity of the specific offense, an administrative penalty is applied. If we talk about illegal alcohol trafficking, the penalties may be relatively more severe. . “
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In his turn, Toms Sadovskis, a public relations specialist of the Riga Municipal Police, points out: “In recent weeks, in fact even in recent months, entertainment places that do not observe restrictions come to the attention of the Riga Municipal Police from time to time. A number of administrative processes have also been launched in recent weeks and will certainly continue. “
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Information about underground events circulates after midnight on both Facebook and the Telegram app. You need to log in to a specific Facebook account through it. At that moment, the potential visitor seems to become an acquaintance / friend of the event organizer, and thus the event is formally positioned as private.
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