NYC ‘cannabis cops’ raid and shutter two illegal pot shops in Queens

New York City’s “cannabis cops” raided and temporarily shuttered two stores in Queens on Tuesday for illegally selling pot products, officials said.

Mayor Eric Adams’ task force on cannabis enforcement seized pounds of flowered marijuana and cannabis edibles from Gas City Metropolitan the tony Middle Village section of the borough.

Photos taken of the raid at 73-12 Metropolitan Avenue reveal the unlicensed weed seller operating brazenly with emblazoned flowered marijuana logos plastered across the walls.

A sign on top of a door read “Gas City Member’s Lounge.”

In the basement, customers smoked pot and consumed other drugs, said Queens Councilman Robert Holden, who reps the area and joined the inspectors.

Cannabis was also seized at the Metro King Deli Corp at 73-02 Metropolitan Avenue, which included THC-infused edibles that looked like candy.

The task force on cannabis enforcement includes members of the NYPD, NYC Sheriff Anthony Miranda’s Office and the Department of Consumer Affairs. The raid was conducted after Middle Village neighbors and civic leaders complained about the illicit activity.

“I’m shocked that these illegal stores are operating in my beautiful, middle-class neighborhood. I’m outraged. This is a disgrace,” Holden said. “We knew it was going on. But we didn’t know it was this bad. I lived here for 72 years and have never seen anything like this.”

Holden said he observed boxes of rolled joints and hallucinogens removed during the raid. Unstamped cigarettes were also discovered.

He was equally enraged when he saw cannabis edibles that look like regular candy being confiscated from Metro-King deli frequented by kids, saying the sale of such unlicensed and untested products endangers public health.

The councilman blamed Albany for dropping the ball for the huge illegal market.

“I’m angry at our state legislators for legalizing marijuana without having an infrastructure and safeguards in place to address the black market. We’re losing tax revenue,” Holden said.

City Sheriff Anthony Miranda said the inspections and seizures would continue.

“This is a collective effort. We’re carrying out the mayor’s mandate to enforce the law. We’re making progress,” he said.

Miranda said city officials will have even more power to padlock illegal cannabis shops if the legislature approves Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal allowing them to do so. He urged lawmakers to pass the measure.

The Adams administration has also ramped up pressure on landlords to evict retail tenants who are illegally selling cannabis.

Marijuana was legalized for recreational sale in 2021.

However, the budding cannabis industry has been hobbled by a slow rollout.

There are currently only 78 licensed cannabis outlets in all of New York state, 35 of which are in the city’s five boroughs.

But Adams and Sheriff Miranda estimate there are as many as 2,000 smoke shops illegally selling weed in the Big Apple alone, hence the crackdown.

A licensed Queens cannabis operator applauded Tuesday’s raid of stores illegally selling weed.

“The legalization of cannabis in New York State represented a significant step forward in promoting public health, safety, and economic growth. These unlicensed businesses operate outside the bounds of the law, potentially exposing consumers to untested and unsafe products, while depriving the state of much-needed tax revenue,” said Osbert Orduna, CEO of The Cannabis Place and co-chair of the Services Disabled Veterans in Cannabis Association.

“It’s interesting to see that both of these places had social media pages on places like Google advertising their sales of unlicensed cannabis products. These tech companies need to do the right thing and stop spreading the proliferation of unlicensed storefronts,” he said.