Editing Prohibition Era (section)

== Bootlegging and Organized Crime ==

The illegal alcohol trade required organization to supply thousands of speakeasies with product. Bootleggers obtained liquor through multiple channels: smuggled imports from Canada and the Caribbean, industrial alcohol diverted and redistilled, and illegally produced domestic spirits. Philadelphia's location on the East Coast made it accessible to rum runners who landed shipments along the Jersey Shore. The distribution network stretched from the docks through warehouses to the speakeasies, requiring coordination, investment, and protection from law enforcement. Organized crime stepped in to provide all three, transforming local gangs into sophisticated operations.<ref name="okrent"/>

Max "Boo Boo" Hoff emerged as Philadelphia's most prominent bootlegger, though he was never convicted of Prohibition violations. Hoff controlled a network of speakeasies, breweries, and distribution operations that made him wealthy and influential. He associated with politicians, police officials, and businessmen who found him useful or feared him. Other bootlegging operations competed and sometimes clashed with Hoff's organization, leading to occasional violence. But Philadelphia avoided the spectacular gang wars that plagued Chicago; the city's corruption was more genteel, with different operators carving out territories and bribing officials to maintain peaceful coexistence.<ref name="weigley"/>