The NYC Sheriff’s Office and NYPD busted two additional illegal smoke shop operations in Rego Park and Maspeth late last month, adding to the hundreds of smoke shops shuttered across the city as part of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect.’
‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’ a multi-agency task force comprised of the NYC Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD, and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), has allowed the city to tackle the ongoing Smoke Shop issue over the past three months.
Council Member Robert Holden, representing neighborhoods in City Council District 30 — which includes Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Rego Park, and parts of Ridgewood — shared the success of the raids on Facebook last week.
He vowed to work with law enforcement to continue shuttering the illegal smoke shops.
“With Operation Padlock to Protect in full swing, we’re teaming up with the NYC Sheriff and NYPD to shut down illegal smoke shops in our district,” Holden shared in a social media post.
In Rego Park, law enforcement raided a convenience store located at 91-08 63rd Drive on Tuesday, July 23, and discovered multiple illegal cannabis products, according to the NYC Sheriff’s Office. THC edibles, vape products, and cannabis pre-rolls were discovered and seized from the property.
At another illegal smoke shop location, on 60-03 Eliot Avenue, near the border of Maspeth and Ridgewood, law enforcement raided and padlocked the establishment on Saturday, July 27, officials say.
Law enforcement discovered and similarly seized cannabis flower, pre-rolls, THC vape products, and edibles from the premises, like the one in Rego Park, officials say.
As a preemptive measure and in response to the existing efforts across the city to rid neighborhoods of illegal smoke shops, Holden’s office has created a Google form where residents can report unlawful smoke shops to his office.
The councilman has worked with law enforcement to shutter smoke shops in his district in prior months.
In March, Holden joined NYC Sheriff Anthony Miranda and law enforcement as they raided three smoke shops. The raid led to the arrest of three smoke shop employees and the discovery of hundreds of pounds in loose tobacco, THC, and cannabis products.
Overall, the city’s Operation Padlock to Protect initiative has closed over 195 locations in Queens and hundreds more throughout the five boroughs. Holden asserts he will continue to work with law enforcement to crack down on illegal cannabis sales.
