SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Four San Francisco shops were slapped with lawsuits accusing the owners of enabling criminals and causing illegal drug activities to thrive in the troubled Tenderloin neighborhood. City Attorney David Chiu announced Friday that he filed several lawsuits against the shops' pr operty owners and managers for allegedly operating illegal gambling dens and harboring criminal activity. Chiu said, "Drug dealing, gambling, fencing, selling contraband and illegal tobacco products -- these stores are the Wild West. One store went as far as to store meth for sale under a display shelf. It is clear these stores are magnets for substantial illegal activity." The markets were exposed by undercover San Francisco Police Department officers who posed as shop customers. A sidewalk in Tenderloin district of San Francisco is seen on January 3, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Lawsuits were filed against: Family Corner Discounts, 401 Ellis Street Store owner Wadhah Albarak is named as a defendant in the suit, along with property owners Yong Oh and Kil Oh. An SFPD officer saw people crowded around a gambling machine in the store. The officer also saw someone walk in and show the clerk a container of laundry detergent concealed under his jacket, indicating a possible fencing operation, according to Chiu's office. Last month, SFPD executed a search warrant and seized six electronic gambling machines, merchandise on display for sale with CVS price stickers, and 50 grams of methamphetamine located under a display shelf. "The store also sold drug paraphernalia, including hundreds of glass pipes commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and crack cocaine, and small plastic baggies used to store narcotics," the city attorney's office wrote. EZ Dollar Discount Store, 335 Jones Street An undercover police officer entered the store and watched a woman gambling with an arcade game machine while she smoked fentanyl, investigators said. The officer also watched "many people coming in and out of the store, but no one exiting the store appeared to have made any purchases. Patrons were gambling inside the store," a lawsuit states. SFPD executed a search warrant and seized six gambling machines and stolen merchandise on display for sale with Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Big 5, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Harbor Freight branding. The store also sold glass pipes, digital scales, and small plastic baggies used to store narcotics. A lawsuit names property owners Ursula Fung and Rex Tin Chan, along with store owner Mohamed Muftah, as defendants. Illegal gambling machines are seen inside EZ Dollar Discount Store. (Photo via San Francisco City Attorney's Office) Ed’s Market, 153 Turk Street An undercover SFPD officer found four gambling machines and saw others play and cash out winnings. In March, SFPD executed a search warrant and seized 11 gambling machines, hundreds of glass pipes and Brillo pads. A lawsuit names store owner Adal Saif Altahami as a defendant. "Since Ed's Market has been in existence, criminal and nuisance activity has plagued the area, necessitating police intervention and adversely affecting the surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood has experienced a rising number of thefts, assaults, drug-related offenses and arrests of Ed's Market customers," the lawsuit states. US Smoke Shop, 415 Ellis Street SFPD executed a search warrant and seized five gambling machines, $17,269 in cash, a digital scale, and cannabis. The city's lawsuits accuse the four stores of profiting from illegal activity. In addition to seeking penalties and injunctive relief, the city attorney is asking a San Francisco judge to shut down each business for one year. SFPD Police Chief Bill Scott said, "The city is united in the effort to dismantle drug markets, illegal gambling dens and other criminal activity to ensure our streets and clean and safe." The four stores' owners could not be reached for comment by KRON4 Friday. ...read more read less