Pennsylvania AG: 17 Charged as Sham Philly Coffee Shop Hid Crack Operation

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a sweeping takedown of an alleged drug trafficking organization that authorities say ran a crack cocaine operation out of a sham North Philadelphia coffee shop called Cumberland Coffee and Snacks. Investigators say the shop’s second floor was used to cook and package crack for street distribution, and that the group, allegedly led by 56-year-old Lewis Alexander, has operated in the neighborhood for more than a decade and is linked to violent crime. The operation, dubbed “Operation Cocaine and Coffee,” resulted in at least 17 arrests and search warrants at roughly 30 locations across Philadelphia, Delaware County and New Jersey, sweeping in a nearby bar and barbershop. Agents seized 27 firearms, about four pounds of cocaine, more than 130 pounds of marijuana, as well as fentanyl, ecstasy and cash; defendants face felony counts including running a corrupt organization, drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession, and Alexander is jailed on $750,000 bail. The case highlights how older, entrenched dealers can embed operations in seemingly legitimate storefronts in gentrifying neighborhoods, a point already surfacing in local online discussion about whether law enforcement and city regulators missed warning signs for years.