Having solved the problem of violent crime in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania liquor police swung into action this weekend. Get a load of this:

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.

Do you want to know how petty this is? Read on:

Maida said that the State Police also confiscated bottles of Duvel, a popular ale imported from Belgium that is widely advertised and available in at least 200 bars throughout the city and suburbs. The beer appears on the PLCB list as “Duvel Beer,” while its label reads “Duvel Belgian Golden Ale.”

By the time the bureaucracy gets done with them, even if the beer’s rightful owners are cleared, most of the beer will have gone bad. But hey, it’s fancy SWPL beer, so we’ll soon hear from readers who insist these bar owners must deserve it.