Alleged South Philly Speakeasies Busted

On Wednesday, members of the Philadelphia Police Department’s vice squad raided two locations in South Philadelphia, shutting down what police have described as speakeasies.

Police seized 129 bottles of beer and liquor and $584 in cash from Caffe Italia at 1424 Snyder Avenue and another 181 bottles and $17,528 from Mediterranean’s of South Philly, located at 1426 McKean Street.

They also arrested three men (pictured, left to right): Tonino Irace, 69, of Glenolden; Zoheir Mouloudj, 44, of Lindley Avenue in Logan; and Canio Pascale, 66, of Woodstock Street in South Philadelphia.

All three men were charged with illegal liquor sales, and Irace and Pascale were charged with criminal conspiracy.

A Yelp review describes Caffe Italia as a “nice little espresso cafe … mostly used as a place for old men from Italy to play cards, smoke cigarettes, and watch televised soccer.”

According to a search of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s database, the locations do not have liquor licenses.