NYC conducts sweeps at 20 illegal smoke shops in all 5 boroughs
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NEW YORK (PIX11) — Law enforcement agencies have begun a sweep to shut down illegal smoke shops across the five boroughs, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday.
“Operation Padlock to Protect” allows law enforcement to inspect smoke and cannabis shops and padlock locations that are caught unlawfully selling cannabis.
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Tuesday’s announcement is the latest development in the Adams administration’s battle against the illegal sale of cannabis in New York City. To date, the New York City Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force has seized an estimated $33 million in illegal products and issued over $75 million in civil penalties, according to the mayor’s office.
In a video call during Mayor Adams’ press conference on Tuesday, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda shared a live look inside Big City Smoke Shop at 110 Church St. in Manhattan.
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“We have illegal mushrooms, packaging for children, cannabis, illegal cigarettes, and pre-rolls,” said Sheriff Miranda. “This is a danger location. It is one block away from a church. They have violated every statute that we have.”
According to Mayor Adams and Sheriff Miranda, smoke shop owners have established systems to avoid detection by law enforcement.
“They talk to each other once we hit a location,” said Sheriff Miranda. “They will send the message out and a number of shops near us will begin the process of closing down. That is why we have more than one team in operation, so we can hit several locations simultaneously.”
Legal cannabis remains the right choice for our city, but to those who choose to break the law — we will shut you down.”
Mayor Eric Adams
There are around 2,800 illegal store officials that have been identified, according to Mayor Adams. “The team is going to be ready to go hit those 2,800 … They’re already building out the operationalizing of this,” Mayor Adams said.
Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.
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