Queens Community Board 13(CB13) held a meeting last month focused on educating Southeast Queens residents about illegal smoke shops.
Shanon LaCorte Esq., the bureau chief of crime strategies & intelligence bureau at the Queens District Attorney’s office, gave an in-depth presentation about cannabis enforcement during the CB13 meeting in February.
LaCorte explained that cannabis enforcement within the DA’s office started in 2021, with DA Melinda Katz notably being the first DA to take office on illegal cannabis dispensaries.
The enforcement strategies began with the investigation and seizure of vans and trucks that were selling cannabis illegally and then moved on to brick-and-mortar shops.
LaCorte highlighted important things for residents to know regarding illegal brick-and-mortar smoke shops.
With the legalization of cannabis in New York State in 2021, LaCorte noted that there was no way to penalize illegal dispensaries at the time. This was due to the slow issuance of licenses for legal businesses and the decriminalization of cannabis possession and sale. “ We had this kind of perfect storm of not a lot of legal dispensaries and no real legal enforcement mechanisms for illegal dispensaries that did decide to, unfortunately, open up their shop illegally,” he said.
LaCorte said that today, however, the New York State Legislature, city council, and sheriff’s office now have better legal enforcement mechanisms for illegal dispensaries.
If you see something, say something
The DA’s office advises residents that they can identify illicit smoke shops if they see neon signs/ signage advertising cannabis usage and paraphernalia.
Unlike illicit smoke shops, legal state-licensed cannabis shops are not allowed to advertise with said signs, and they cannot sell products targeted to children. Additionally, all the cannabis products in the state-licensed shops must be cultivated and grown, packaged, and inspected in New York State, and these shops will have clear signage that shows they are state-licensed.
According to the New York State Office of Cannabis Management, there are currently 333 adult-use cannabis dispensaries across the state, with around 25 in Queens.
LaCorte advised residents to call 311 and 911 if they have a suspected illicit smoke shop location. Additionally, they can email cannabistips@queensda.org with the address and area of the suspected shop.
He also advised that residents should not attempt to do their own investigations, interact with people working in the smoke shops, or do anything that could harm them.
Cannabis crime stats
The Queens DA’s office has prosecuted over 400 individuals for felony-level charges related to the possession and or sale of controlled substances or cannabis in Queens since November 2022. From 400 suspected illegal cannabis dispensaries in Queens, the DA’s office has recovered over 10,000 pounds of cannabis flowers, 17,000 vape pens, and 6,500 pounds of cannabis edibles (including gummies and candies).
Since last year, the DA’s office has initiated 37 eviction proceedings on illicit smoke shops. Once the office identifies a location that is selling unlicensed cannabis and controlled substances, an eviction proceeding is initiated against the tenant and landlord of the building. “Essentially, what we do is we put the landlord on notice, and we say, hey landlord, you have five days to initiate your own eviction proceeding against this tenant, or we’ll step in against both of you, and you’ll be on the hook for fines,” LaCorte.
LaCorte said that within the past three to four months, the most effective way to close illicit smoke shops has been to work with the sheriff’s office to padlock locations in Queens. Once the shop is put on notice, the sheriff can conduct an inspection, and if cannabis that is being illegally sold is recovered, the location can be padlocked.
LaCorte said that although the results are effective, owners of the illicit shops are still finding ways to continue setting up shops. “Criminals can be crafty, and they start doing things like selling drugs through roll-down gates… they may be crafty, but we’re hard at work as well,” he said. With the recent enforcement measures, there have been noticeably fewer calls within the last few months about illegal cannabis activity.
The Queens District Attorney’s office advises residents to remain patient, noting that executing a warrant and shutting down illicit cannabis shops is just one step in a broader legal process.
