Razan Deli one of two markets targeted for operating ‘safe haven’ for drug dealing, trafficking in stolen merchandise, violent incidents
SAN FRANCISCO (March 5, 2012) — A San Francisco Superior Court judge has approved a stipulated injunction between City Attorney Dennis Herrera and one of two Tenderloin markets targeted in litigation filed five weeks ago involving rampant illicit drug activity and trafficking in stolen merchandise. Under terms of the injunction approved by Judge Harold E. Kahn late this morning, Razan Deli will cease operation by April 1 and remain shuttered for a period of one year; pay civil penalties of $80,000 plus interest to the City; and surrender to the San Francisco Police Department any controlled substances or drug paraphernalia on the premises. The market at 391 Ellis Street was the site of 118 calls for police service in 2011 alone, according to the complaint Herrera filed on Jan. 30, including emergency calls related to a shooting and multiple assaults.
“Razan Deli has been a magnet for drug-related nuisances and violence for too long, and I’m grateful to secure a court order that gives this neighborhood and its residents a measure of relief,” said Herrera. “This is a tough, enforceable injunction and civil penalty, and I hope it sends a strong message to other would-be scofflaws that there is a steep price to pay for lawlessness that threatens the health and safety of neighbors. I’m very appreciative for the great work of the San Francisco Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Greg Suhr, whose investigation enabled us to build a strong case against this establishment and the nearby market we continue to pursue.”
Another case Herrera filed the same day against Barah Market (also known as “Azaal Market”), at 200 Leavenworth Street, remains ongoing. The civil actions, which were announced at a joint news conference in the Tenderloin by Herrera and Police Chief Greg Suhr, followed undercover police investigations that for more than two years documented a pattern in which the markets operated safe havens for the sale of cocaine, crack, heroin, prescription painkillers and other drugs. The markets were also found to have engaged in the purchase and resale of stolen merchandise, according to the city’s complaints.
The case is: City and County of San Francisco and People of the State of California v. Walid Abdelrahman et al., San Francisco Superior Court, Case No. 517-725. Additional information is available on the City Attorney’s Web site at the following URL: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/.
Related Documents:
PDF of the Razan Deli stipulated injunction presskit (March 5, 2012)