IT WAS ELIOT NESS and the Untouchables, as played by the Keystone Kops.More than a dozen armed State Police officers conducted simultaneous raids last week on three popular Philadelphia bars known for their wide beer selections. The cops confiscated hundreds of bottles of expensive ales and lagers, now in State Police custody at an undisclosed location.
The alleged offense: Although the bar owners had bought the beer legally from licensed Pennsylvania distributors and had paid all the necessary taxes, the police claimed that nobody had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board - a process that requires the brewers or their importers to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they want to sell in Pennsylvania.
Based on a complaint from
Wonder who they pissed off?
In fact, according to Maida, more than half the beer removed by the State Police was properly registered - but the cops couldn't find it on their lists because of "clerical errors" or "blatant ineptitude" between the police and the Liquor Control Board, with whom the officers were conferring by telephone.
And the coppers are returning the brewskis when?
She estimated the total value of the confiscated stock at $7,200, representing about 20 brands, some of which go by multiple names.
Make sure to stop in this weekend to sample their newest brew called Screw The Pennsylvania State Liquor Control Board...