NYC shuts down nearly 800 illegal cannabis shops in 3 months. Here's an update on the crackdown.
NEW YORK -- New York City has shuttered nearly 800 illegal cannabis shops over the past three months, officials announced Wednesday.
Mayor Eric Adams said Operation Padlock to Protect shut down 779 businesses across the five boroughs, issuing $65,671,487 in fines and seizing $41,443,792 worth of products.
"For too long, illegal shops have contributed to a feeling that anything goes on our streets, while targeting our most vulnerable -- including children -- with dangerous, counterfeit products marketed as candy," Adams said in a statement. "But today, we are celebrating that this is no longer being tolerated and we are making huge gains to protect communities and usher in a legal cannabis market that will thrive."
Gov. Kathy Hochul added more than 1,000 illegal shops have been closed statewide, including six earlier this month in New Rochelle.
"These criminals are very clever. We were playing Whac-a-Mole. We were playing that for a long time. They thought they were winning. Guess what? They lost," Hochul said.
Back in May, a report found there were more than 2,900 illegal stores in the city alone.
What is Operation Padlock to Protect?
As part of the budget agreement, state lawmakers granted cities and towns more authority to start cracking down on the illegal cannabis shops.
New York City launched Operation Padlock to Protect in early May as a sweeping enforcement effort.
Later that month, law enforcement seized millions of dollars of illegal products from a warehouse in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Then earlier this month, it busted a manufacturing operation that was printing fake labels in Sheepshead Bay.
Investigators said complaints from the community helped tip them off to the Sheepshead Bay location. Residents can report illegal cannabis shops by calling 311 or emailing the Sheriff's Office. Learn more here.
The governor has said legal cannabis sales are up, thanks to the crackdown, adding the state has issued 214 new cannabis licenses since May 1 and she expects that number to climb sharply in the weeks to come.
"And now, because we took down these illegal competitors, we now have 152 legal dispensaries across the state and that is growing by the week," Hochul said.