Tenderloin Store Owner Ordered to Pay $151,000 to City Over Illegal Gambling Den

The scofflaw owner of a Tenderloin corner store that was raided by police two years ago, and which was found to be hosting illegal gambling inside, and, as recently as June, also selling drug paraphernalia and illegal substances, has been found liable in a civil lawsuit to the tune of $151,000. The store at the corner of Turk and Leavenworth streets, known over the years by the names Barah Market, Azaal Market, and more recently, TL Market & Deli, has been a nexus of illegal and unsavory activity for over a decade. Back in September 2024, San Francisco police raided the market along with two other businesses on the block, and seized 16 illegal gambling machines, including electronic slot machines. The business continued to operate until this year, and in June, a narcotics raid found the store to be selling illegal tobacco products, prescription drugs, and drug paraphernalia. As the City Attorney's Office explains in a release, a civil lawsuit against TL Market & Deli owner Mohsen Mused has been ongoing since October 2024, and on Friday, November 6, the city prevailed in that suit, with the court ordering Mused to pay $151,000 in penalties. Additionally, Mused, who owns two other businesses at 701 Geary Street and 456 Ellis Street, is now court-ordered not to possess any drug paraphernalia or gambling devices at his other businesses. "This store was not a humble market and deli — it was a magnet for illegal activity," said City Attorney David Chiu. "Referring to the Tenderloin as a ‘human zoo’ and its residents as ‘animals’ [apparently in evidence shown at court] shows the store owner’s callousness and willingness to profit off human suffering." Chiu added, "The City is better off without the Tenderloin Market and Deli, and we look forward to seeing a new law-abiding business lease this space." Mused's store was evicted from 200 Leavenworth earlier this year, in a settlement between the property owner and City Attorney Chiu, and as we learned last month , the Tenderloin Community Benefits District has closed on a deal to purchase the property and transform it into a community space. "This [is] a chance to take back the corner and be the anchor for the Tenderloin and, as we all know, as goes the Tenderloin so goes San Francisco," said Doug Galen, cofounder of the private foundation Ripple Works with billionaire Chris Larsen, who assisted with the building purchase, speaking to the Chronicle in October. The City Attorney's Office notes that it has helped to shut down 13 stores in the Tenderloin in recent years over illegal activity or violations of the city's nighttime safety ordinance. Previously: SFPD Raids Underground Casino Operating Inside Tenderloin Market