Spybar Co-Owner Dino Gardiakos Sentenced to Six Years in Prison in Ketamine Case

Dino Gardiakos, a co-owner of Chicago nightclub Spybar, has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty in a narcotics case stemming from his 2024 arrest at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Authorities arrested Gardiakos in March 2024 after he arrived on an overnight flight from London carrying approximately six kilograms, or nearly 14 pounds, of ketamine concealed inside containers in his luggage. According to court records, Gardiakos told investigators that he had purchased the ketamine in London and that the seller explained how to conceal the drugs while traveling through customs.

Judge Timothy Joyce handed down the six-year sentence after Gardiakos pleaded guilty to manufacturing or delivering narcotics.

The case marks Gardiakos’ second guilty plea in a major narcotics case since 2022. At the time of his 2024 arrest, he was already serving probation from a separate case that began with a 2021 raid on his West Town home.

In that earlier investigation, prosecutors said U.S. Customs agents intercepted a package from the United Kingdom addressed to Gardiakos that allegedly contained more than two pounds of ketamine. Authorities later carried out a controlled delivery and searched his residence.

Prosecutors alleged that the search uncovered additional ketamine, more than 11 pounds of cannabis, nearly nine pounds of THC concentrate, about one pound of psilocybin mushrooms, roughly $25,000 in cash, packaging materials, a scale, ledgers, and other items they said were consistent with narcotics distribution.

Despite those allegations, Gardiakos ultimately pleaded guilty in that case to a single count of possessing a controlled substance. He received two years of second-chance probation and was ordered to complete 30 hours of community service. Judge Joyce later terminated that probation as “unsatisfactory.”

Following Gardiakos’ 2024 arrest, Spybar released a statement saying its staff, management, and operating owner were “shocked and saddened” by the allegations. The club described Gardiakos as a co-owner but said he had not participated in its day-to-day operations for more than seven years.

Spybar also reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for illicit or illegal activity and said it was working with its team of professionals to address the situation.

Gardiakos’ current ownership status with Spybar was not immediately clear. The six-year sentence marks the latest development in a legal history that has included two guilty pleas in narcotics cases since 2022.