New York City sheriff's office gives CBS2 an inside look at their efforts to crack down on illegal smoke shops
NEW YORK -- From threatening eviction to seizing pot products, New York is cracking down on the rapid increase of illegal smoke shops.
The New York City sheriff's office is leading the effort and gave CBS2's Christina Fan an inside look at their operation.
Within minutes of stepping foot into I Smoke and Vape on Broadway, sheriff's deputies seized several jars of pre-rolled joints, along with flavored vapes and untaxed cigarettes.
The illegal products are so lucrative for stores, almost every inspection ends in citations, in some cases, arrests.
"We just hit this one not too long ago. As you can see, we are taking more product out of here again. They didn't really learn their lesson," Det. Sgt. Erin Markevitch said.
Authorities suspect some 1,400 shops are selling marijuana illegally in the five boroughs.
"There's a lot in the 60s, and I just came through the park and you can just smell it," Canarsie resident Dionne Allen said.
That's why two to three times a week, the New York City Sheriff's Office hits the streets, checking smoke shops racking up the most 311 complaints.
Officers say unregulated stores have become magnets for robberies and crime while targeting teenagers.
"We seized a lot of edibles that have [labels similar to] Fruit Loops, Frito Lays, Doritos, all geared towards children, which is unacceptable," Markevitch said.
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Since Mayor Eric Adams created a taskforce in November tackling illegal marijuana, millions of dollars of contraband has been removed from shelves.
"We strategically target different areas in different communities. We do all five boroughs. We are concentrating on those that are near our schools," New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda said.
This week, the city announced a new strategy -- sending warnings to known smoke shops they could face eviction for illegal sales.
Miranda says having a multi-agency effort is key.
"We are all going in at the same time. We see all the violations, we collect and we take action. Those enforcements ... helps us get us closer to nuisance abatement and the ability to close these locations down," he said.
To permanently shut down and stub out the illegal market.
Detectives say if a shop has a lot of violations and illegal products, inspections can take one to two hours with the FDNY and departments of health and buildings also joining in.
