During hundreds of searches in a single week, Suffolk County police apprehended 26 unlicensed marijuana retailers, confiscating over 15,000 illegal cannabis goods, officials announced Tuesday.
Police say that since the countywide campaign started on May 20, 44 tobacco shops and convenience stores have been raided, seven people have been arrested, and five businesses have been permanently closed.
At a press conference held at the Yaphank police headquarters, Suffolk Executive Ed Romaine declared, “We are not going to allow the proliferation of illegal marijuana shops in this county.”
“Under the law, we not only padlock their business, but we seize all of their products,” Romaine continued, adding that the county will probably burn the confiscated goods.
According to police, raids on Cloud Nine V in Farmingville, Simply Green in Coram, Vape Guru in Bay Shore, and The Norm tobacco shop in Patchogue have resulted in the largest busts to date.
Additionally, Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina disclosed that during the raids, several of these stores were found to be selling flavored vape pods to children, illegal fireworks, and Colorado magic mushroom chocolate bars.
He explained that the police collaborated with local authorities from throughout Suffolk County to find potential illegal marijuana sales places.
“The places that we hit, we asked our precinct commanders and our elected townspeople to give us the spots that were the most problematic in our communities, and those are the spots that we targeted,” Catalina stated of the raids.
More raids are planned, officials promised.
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The raids were carried out in cooperation with police, and Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. stated that “this isn’t just about legality, it’s more about safety.”
Toulon Jr. stated, “Products sold outside of regulated channels can be dangerous and untested,” with reference to vape pens that contain THC.
According to officials, the operation will go on forever, and they are already targeting dozens more stores.
