Four smoke shops busted in citywide crackdown on illegal weed shops
Officials say 20 illegal smoke shops were shut down across the five boroughs.
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Four smoke shops in the Bronx were raided by the NYPD on Tuesday for illegally selling cannabis products.
The raid was a part of an ongoing operation called "Padlock to Protect." It's a new initiative by Mayor Eric Adams to permanently close all illegal and unlicensed cannabis shops in the city.
The task force, made up of the NYPD, sheriff's office and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, gives them the authority to inspect and padlock any business that is selling weed Illegally.
"These shops are especially dangerous to children and have been a major impediment to the financial stability of legal cannabis dispensaries," said chief advisor to the mayor Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin.
In the Bronx, there are currently five legal state licensed cannabis dispensaries.
"The pricing, and the taxes and what not, we are paying takes, them guys are not paying taxes, we are giving out safe products to the community, them guys you know, nonetheless, I am not here to bash them, but it needs to be more regulated," said Howell Miller, co-owner of Two Buds Cannabis Dispensary.
More than 600 landlords and building owners also received warning letters that they could be legally liable for tenants that continue to sell illegal products.
