SF City Attorney Sues Two Tenderloin Markets

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera is suing two markets in the Tenderloin, calling them “safe havens” for the sale of drugs and stolen property.

The civil suits were filed this week against Barah’s Market at 200 Leavenworth Street and Razan Deli at 391 Ellis Street. It states that in 2010 and 2011, undercover police officers frequently bought drugs in or around both markets and sold merchandise they claimed was stolen from a nearby Walgreens to market employees.

The city attorney’s office is looking to close each business for a year so “they can get their houses in order.”

Employees at the Barah’s Market said they were unaware of the lawsuit until this week and denied any wrongdoing.  Owners at Razan Deli would not comment on the suits.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brooks

It's simple. Keith Mizuguchi loves to write and write and write some more. After taking a hiatus from the journalism business, he has rekindled his passion for writing over the last two years, holding a job as both a web and on-air writer for San Francisco news radio station KCBS. While he enjoys the news business, his true passions are twofold: sports and food. Bay Area born and raised, he lives in San Jose, commutes to SF and loves every minute of it. You can follow his food adventures on Twitter @foodie_keith.