A Woodhaven man and a Queens Village resident were among four people arrested during a sweeping enforcement action against six illegal cannabis storefronts across the borough, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday.
Dubbed “Operation Weed Whacker,” the months-long investigation included undercover buys and resulted in the padlocking of each location and the seizure of hundreds of pounds of illicit cannabis and tobacco products.
Michael Deblasio, 32, of Woodhaven, and Hemyar Naji, 34, of Brooklyn, were arraigned Aug. 13 on a criminal complaint charging them with criminal possession of cannabis in the second degree. They are due back in court Oct. 14 and face a potential maximum of 1 ⅓ to four years in prison if convicted.
Mahmoud Hossain, 24, of Queens Village, was arraigned last month on a criminal complaint charging him with criminal possession of cannabis in the first degree. He is due back in court on Sept. 4 and faces a potential maximum of 2 ⅓ to seven years in prison if convicted.
A fourth individual received a desk appearance ticket on Aug. 14.
“Illegal cannabis stores pose a threat to community safety and to the individuals who purchase their products,” Katz said. “My office, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure compliance so that legitimate businesses can thrive and our neighbors, particularly young people, remain safe from the unregulated products sold by illegal shops.”
The half dozen storefronts that were padlocked from July 16 through August 14 included Hollis Convenience at 190-12 99th Ave. in Hollis; Moonrocks at 46-06 Utopia Parkway in Flushing; No Limit at 231-01B Linden Blvd. and ZaZa Exotic (Linden Green Farms Inc.) at 231-07 Linden Blvd. in Cambria Heights; and Sunnyside Clouds at 45-03 40th St. and Fumes Puff at 41-25 Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside. A total of 130 pounds of cannabis flower, 110 pounds of cannabis vapes, 74 pounds of cannabis edibles, and 173 pounds of illegal flavored tobacco vapes were seized from the six locations.
Operation Weed Whacker is part of the DA’s ongoing effort to rid Queens of illegal cannabis dispensaries, whether operating out of trucks and vans or brick-and-mortar commercial locations.
“Thank you to members of my Crimes Strategies and Intelligence Bureau, Detective Bureau, as well as our partners at the New York City Sheriff and the NYPD for their hard work,” Katz said.
Since November 2022, enforcement operations have resulted in the prosecution of 445 individuals for felony-related charges related to the sale and/or possession of cannabis or controlled substances in Queens. A total of 310 shops in the borough have been padlocked since July 2024 through the assistance of the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD.
