NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda, and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban announced the results of enforcement actions taken last night against two illegal cannabis operators warehousing illegal cannabis and other products in the Throgs Neck area of the Bronx. Led by the Sheriff’s Joint Compliance Taskforce, the operation — part of “Operation Padlock to Protect” — shut down including a warehouse storing millions of dollars’ worth of illegal cannabis and psilocybin products, and a smoke shop that was hiding cannabis products in their air vents.
“We have been clear: illegal smoke shops will no longer be able to operate with impunity,” said Mayor Adams. “‘Operation Padlock to Protect’ has already shut down and padlocked over 630 illegal smoke shops, allowed us to seize over $20 million in illegal products, and impose more than $51 million in fines and penalties on those who continue to break the law. Our administration has achieved remarkable results over the last three months, and last night’s raid on two major distributors and operators shows we will not stop until every illegal shop is held accountable. For too long, these shops have contributed to a feeling that anything goes in our city, but we are going to continue to shut down illegal shops and will ensure that the future of legal cannabis burns bright in New York City. I want to thank Sheriff Miranda and his team, as well as Commissioner Caban and the NYPD, for leading this operation.”
“Unlicensed cannabis shops aren’t just breaking the law –– they’re threatening our neighborhoods,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “These shops undermine the legal market, evade taxes, attract robberies and shootings, and, most notably, threaten public safety by distributing products that haven’t been tested or regulated. Our job is to protect the people of New York City, and we’re doing that every day by shutting these illegal operators down.”
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe from these unregulated and dangerous products,” said Sheriff Miranda. “The information we obtain from the community via 3-1-1 complaints and from elected officials are critical to the success of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect.’”
“The safe sale and distribution of legal cannabis in New York City requires a licensed, regulated, and standardized industry,” said NYPD Commissioner Caban. “Illegal cannabis operators running afoul of the law are posing a public safety and health risk to our communities and are destabilizing the emerging legal industry. The NYPD and our task force partners will continue to use every resource available to enforce existing cannabis regulations and, most importantly, to protect New Yorkers.”
Last night, while the Sheriff’s Joint Compliance Task Force was conducting inspections at 51 locations throughout New York City, an inspection at 3770 E. Tremont Avenue in the Bronx resulted in the seizure of 176 pounds of cannabis flower, 0.6 pounds of THC Vape products, and psilocybin mushroom edibles. The cannabis flower was found in hidden compartments under a couch, covered by ceiling tiles, in filing cabinets, in luggage bags, and in plain view.
The inspection also uncovered a back door at a bodega at 4011 E. Tremont Avenue in the Bronx that led to a warehouse where deputies found pallets worth of cannabis flower, THC pre-rolls, THC vape products, THC concentrate, THC edibles, psilocybin edibles and psilocybin concentrate. The task force also found empty containers to pack products and a room that appeared to be set up to grow cannabis plants, leading law enforcement to suspect it is a likely distributor. The estimated total value, at this time, of products seized at the two sites during last night’s raid is at least $1 million.
