Constable Bridget McLaren, left, Sergeant Jon Harris and exhibits officer John Bramhall dispose of about $20,000 worth of confiscated liquor.

French champagnes, $800 red wines, expensive cognac and 18-year-old whisky have all gone down the drain at the Christchurch Police Station.

About $20,000 worth of confiscated booze was tipped out on Thursday, made up of 52 litres of spirits, 154 litres of wine and 137 litres of beer.

Sergeant Jon Harris confiscated the 343 litres of booze, in 493 bottles, in June this year after visiting a Christchurch restaurant displaying alcohol for sale without a licence.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Constable Bridget McLaren pours cognac down the drain, part of $20,000 of confiscated booze being disposed of.

The haul included some "pretty exclusive alcohol", he said.

"There was some $800 bottles of red wine which were pretty painful to tip out."

The Cantonese restaurant, called Lin's Tomoei​, had its on-licence revoked in August 2015. The owner, Can-Tang Lin, also had his general manager's certificate cancelled.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Some of the red wines were reported to be worth $800 a bottle.

Lin's trouble began back in April 2014, when he indecently assaulted a guest while drunk at a private function he was hosting.

He was convicted in November 2014. Harris' group, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Unit, later applied to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority to have Lin's licences taken from him, on the grounds he was not suitable to hold them because of his convictions.

The authority agreed in August 2015.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ 493 bottles of alcohol, or 321 litres, were tipped out in total.

However, when Harris went to check the restaurant in June this year, he found "a vast amount of alcohol" on display and patrons drinking with their meals.

"It looked like nothing had really changed."

Harris gave Lin a warning and said he would return.

When he came back the next day, the booze was still out and diners were still drinking. Harris executed a search warrant and took the grog.

Lin was charged and fined $2500 for two offences after being convicted in September.

Harris said Lin "just seemed to thumb his nose at the authority and just continued to do what he wanted to do".

"Unlicensed bars aren't a new thing but they're not normally on such scale."

Lin said he had "maybe 10 to 20 bottles" on display in the restaurant when Harris visited, but wasn't selling any. Most of the alcohol was being stored.

Some of the bottles on display were "for decoration" and some were gifts from tour guides passing through, including an 18-year-old Japanese whisky he had been given just three days earlier, he said.

Lin said the people drinking on the first night had brought the alcohol with them as they were finishing a tour of New Zealand.

On the second, when Harris came back, those drinking were in a private room and had again brought their own alcohol, he said.

He confirmed he was aware they were drinking and said he had tried to stop them.

Lin said there was no longer any alcohol in his restaurant and clients no longer brought any with them.

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