NYC Police Raid Deli… Find $1M of Illegal Drugs

Summary

The video script details a rampant issue in New York City: the proliferation of illegal convenience stores disguised as regular shops, secretly selling millions of dollars worth of illicit substances. These stores, often located in residential areas, are not only dangerous but also incredibly lucrative, leading to a cycle where they quickly reopen after being shut down. The script highlights the city's struggle to combat this issue, with authorities seizing large quantities of illegal products and equipment but facing challenges in identifying and punishing the true operators behind these businesses.

Takeaways

• 🚔 NYPD and city sheriffs have been cracking down on illegal smoke shops operating in residential areas, seizing millions of dollars worth of illegal products.
• 💔 The demand for these products is so high that new shops quickly open in place of those shut down, making it a continuous battle for law enforcement.
• 📍 The community often plays a crucial role in tipping off the police about these operations, indicating a desire for safer neighborhoods.
• 🔎 Authorities have found that these shops are not just selling cannabis but also dangerous, unregulated substances that can be harmful to consumers.
• 🌐 The scale of the operation is vast, with some busts revealing large quantities of illegal products, including a printing press for fake labels.
• 🛑 Mayor Adams has lobbied for increased fines and stronger authority for sheriffs to shut down unlicensed cannabis shops immediately.
• 🏪 The problem is exacerbated by the fact that these illegal shops often masquerade as legitimate convenience stores, making it difficult to identify them without raids.
• 🚨 The rise in these illegal shops is seen as a symptom of a larger issue with crime in New York City, including shoplifting and gun crime epidemics.
• 💡 The city is considering new strategies to combat the problem, such as holding landlords accountable for renting to illegal businesses, with potential fines of up to $50,000.
• 🚫 Despite the raids and fines, the lack of severe penalties and jail time for those running these operations may be contributing to their persistence.
• 🌐 The script suggests that the laws in place are not effectively deterring crime, as they create low-risk, high-reward opportunities for criminals.

Q & A

What was the nature of the operation discovered in the residential area?

The operation was an illegal multi-million dollar cannabis business that was also supplying other illicit smoke shops in the city.

What were some of the items seized during the raid on the illegal operation?

Items seized included a printing press, fake labels, edibles, chemicals, gummies, vape pens, and marijuana flowers, all of which were illegal.

How did the authorities become aware of the illegal operation?

The community tipped off the police, leading to the discovery and raid by city sheriffs and the NYPD.

What measures did Mayor Adams take to combat unlicensed cannabis shops?

Mayor Adams lobbied the state to raise fines and gave sheriffs the authority to padlock unlicensed cannabis shops on the spot.

Why are these illegal convenience stores a concern for the community?

They sell dangerous and illegal products that can harm the public, including children, and contribute to the rise of crime in neighborhoods.

How do these stores manage to reopen after being shut down?

The high demand for their products and the profits they make allow them to quickly recover from seizures and reopen, often under different guises.

What is the role of landlords in the operation of these illegal stores?

Landlords may unknowingly or willingly rent to criminals, providing them with spaces to operate their illegal businesses, and they may face penalties if they fail to evict such tenants.

What are the challenges faced by law enforcement in shutting down these illegal operations?

Challenges include identifying the actual owners of the operations, the ease with which these businesses can reopen, and the difficulty in tracking down the source of the illegal products.

How do these illegal stores affect the local economy and legitimate businesses?

They drive up rental prices for storefronts, incentivizing landlords to rent to criminals over legitimate businesses, potentially leading to the closure of long-standing stores.

What is the city's new plan to combat the rise of these illegal stores?

The city plans to hold landlords accountable, fining them up to $50,000 if they fail to evict tenants running illegal stores after being notified by authorities.

What is the broader implication of the decriminalization of certain substances as mentioned in the script?

Decriminalization has led to a lack of penalties for customers buying illegal products, which may contribute to the persistence of these illegal stores and the challenges faced by law enforcement.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Illegal Cannabis Operations in NYC

This paragraph discusses the issue of illegal cannabis operations in New York City, which are often located in residential areas and supply other illegal smoke shops. The operations are massive, with one being a multi-million dollar business. The community played a crucial role in tipping off the police, leading to raids by city sheriffs and NYPD officers. Items seized included a printing press, fake labels, edibles, chemicals, gummies, vape pens, and marijuana flowers, all of which were illegal. The mayor and most New Yorkers want these stores gone, but the high demand for their products leads to new stores opening quickly after closures. The paragraph also highlights the increased frequency of inspections since May, following the mayor's efforts to raise fines and give sheriffs the authority to padlock unlicensed cannabis shops immediately. The concern is that these stores not only sell cannabis but also potentially dangerous substances that could harm children and the community.

05:01

🏚️ The Hidden Dangers of Illegal Convenience Stores

This paragraph delves into the hidden dangers of illegal convenience stores in New York City, which often masquerade as legitimate businesses. These stores are not just selling harmless items but are involved in significant drug dealing operations. The paragraph describes a raid where authorities found a back storage room filled with a million dollars' worth of illegal drugs, including cannabis, edibles, and other substances. The local community's role in reporting these operations is highlighted, as is the difficulty in tracking down the actual owners of these illegal businesses. The paragraph also discusses the city's struggle to enforce laws against these stores, as they often reopen quickly after being shut down. The issue of landlords potentially benefiting from renting to criminals is also raised, as they can charge high rents for vacant storefronts that may be used for illegal activities.

10:02

🚔 The Challenge of Policing Illegal Drug Stores

This paragraph focuses on the challenges faced by the police and authorities in policing illegal drug stores in New York City. It describes how these stores often have secret rooms and facilities for growing and enhancing the potency of drugs, making them extremely dangerous. The paragraph also highlights the difficulty in identifying the actual owners of these operations, as those caught during raids often claim to be mere employees. The issue of decriminalization of certain substances and its impact on the proliferation of these illegal stores is discussed. The paragraph emphasizes the need for stronger laws and penalties to combat this problem, as the current system of fines and seizures is not effectively deterring criminals. The city's plan to hold landlords accountable for renting to criminals by imposing fines is also mentioned, but the effectiveness of this approach is questioned.

15:04

📈 The Impact of Decriminalization and the Future of Illegal Shops

The final paragraph discusses the impact of decriminalization on the proliferation of illegal shops in New York City and questions the effectiveness of current laws in curbing this issue. It highlights the low risk, high reward nature of operating these illegal businesses, which encourages criminals to continue their activities despite the risk of being caught. The paragraph also touches on the potential for landlords to unknowingly rent to criminals, leading to the establishment of illegal shops. The city's plan to penalize landlords who fail to evict tenants running illegal operations is mentioned, but concerns are raised about the financial burden this could place on landlords. The paragraph concludes by questioning whether the city will be able to effectively address the problem of illegal shops or if it will continue to be a cycle of closing one store while others open.

Keywords

💡Illegal Smoke Shops

Illegal smoke shops refer to retail establishments that operate without proper licensing and sell products such as cannabis and related items in violation of the law. In the video's context, these shops are highlighted as a growing problem in New York City, with the script mentioning their prevalence and the challenges they pose to law enforcement and communities.

💡NYPD

NYPD stands for the New York Police Department, which is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for the city. The script discusses the NYPD's involvement in shutting down illegal smoke shops and the difficulties they face in combating this issue due to high demand for the products and the quick resurgence of these shops after being closed.

💡Cannabis

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The video script describes how illegal smoke shops are selling cannabis products, contributing to the city's problem with unregulated and potentially dangerous substances being distributed.

💡Decriminalization

Decriminalization refers to the reduction of penalties associated with the use or possession of certain substances, such as cannabis, making them less punishable by law. The video discusses the impact of decriminalization on the rise of illegal smoke shops and the challenges it presents for law enforcement and community safety.

💡Bodegas

Bodegas are small convenience stores, often family-owned, that are common in urban areas like New York City. The script mentions how some bodegas are tempted to sell illegal products alongside legitimate ones, contributing to the problem of illegal smoke shops.

💡Drug Bust

A drug bust is a law enforcement operation aimed at seizing illegal drugs and arresting those involved in their distribution. The video script provides examples of drug busts where large quantities of illegal cannabis and related products were confiscated from illegal smoke shops.

💡Sheriff's Department

The Sheriff's Department is a law enforcement agency that may have jurisdiction over certain areas or specific duties, such as executing legal documents or managing certain types of law enforcement operations. The script mentions the Sheriff's Department's role in padlocking and shutting down illegal cannabis shops.

💡Fines

Fines are monetary penalties imposed by a court or law enforcement agency as punishment for breaking the law. The video discusses how fines are used as a deterrent for illegal smoke shops but questions their effectiveness given the high profits these shops can make.

💡Community Impact

Community impact refers to the effects that certain activities or events have on a local community. The script emphasizes the negative impact of illegal smoke shops on neighborhoods, including increased crime and the potential for dangerous products to harm residents.

💡Landlords

Landlords are property owners who rent out their spaces to others. The video script discusses the role of landlords in the proliferation of illegal smoke shops, suggesting that they may be complicit due to the high rents they can charge for these spaces.

💡Legislation

Legislation refers to the process of making or enacting laws. The script critiques current legislation, suggesting that it does not effectively deter or punish the operation of illegal smoke shops, thus contributing to their persistence.

Highlights

Operation of illegal smoke shops in residential areas, supplying other illegal shops in the city.

The high demand for illegal products leads to the rapid emergence of new stores after shutdowns.

Community tip-offs assisted police in uncovering a multi-million dollar illegal operation.

A wide range of illegal cannabis products were seized, including gummies, vape pens, and marijuana flowers.

New York City sheriff's deputies found a large-scale cannabis operation, one of the largest they've ever seen.

Mayor Adams lobbied for higher fines and gave sheriffs the authority to padlock unlicensed cannabis shops.

The appearance of these stores as legitimate businesses, selling dangerous products disguised as everyday items.

The city's crackdown on illegal convenience stores is a response to the rise in crime and health risks.

The difficulty in tracking down the actual owners of these illegal operations due to their隐蔽 operations.

The financial incentive for landlords to rent to illegal businesses over legitimate ones.

The city's plan to penalize landlords who knowingly rent to illegal businesses.

The decriminalization of certain substances may have inadvertently encouraged the growth of illegal markets.

The presence of illegal smoke shops negatively impacts neighborhoods and attracts criminal activity.

The challenge of identifying and punishing those truly responsible for running the illegal stores.

The city's struggle to keep up with the rapid reopening of illegal stores after they are shut down.

The role of community vigilance in identifying and reporting illegal activities to the police.

The city's consideration of new strategies to combat the issue, including holding landlords accountable.

Transcripts

so this operation was happening pretty

much under everyone's NOS is right in

the middle of a residential area it was

also supplying other illegal smoke shops

in the city NYPD officers huh so places

like this convenience store which is now

shut down aren't exactly selling candy

now some are selling millions of dollars

of items that are as illegal as they are

dangerous and even though the mayor and

most New Yorkers want stores like this

gone the demand for their products is so

high that once one gets closed two or

three others pop up up in its place it

was the community that tipped off police

to this multi-million dollar operation

City sheriffs and the NYPD went in and

found a back room among the items seized

were a printing press fake labels

Edibles chemicals we gummies vape pens

marijuana flowers and none of it is

legal it's one of the largest cannabis

Bus New York City sheriff's deputies

have ever seen they got more product in

here backpack boys the child ever found

this they wouldn't think twice about

eating it these inspections have become

much more common since May after mayor

Adams lobbied the state to raise the

fines and give the sheriff authority to

padlock an unlicensed cannabis shop on

the spot it looks like candy it looks

like things that my kids play with it

makes me very very angry and I'm very

curious about what's going to happen and

how they're going to shut this down to

protect the children this door slides in

the back room and we climbed through you

can see that somebody might be residing

in that location and then we found this

you can tell this isn't just like a

random store the way that they're set up

they're selling

volume New York has declared allout war

on the hundreds of illegal convenience

stores now operating in this city but

what nobody's talking about is that

these drug dealing delies they're the

logical progression of crime in a city

that doesn't punish anybody for anything

and these are just a new form of the

out-of-control crime rising up in every

aspect of our life here in New York we

see it at our stores with our

shoplifting epidemic we see it on our

streets with our gun crime epidemic and

now when you go to buy an ice cream at

the corner store you may also have the

opportunity to buy something that's much

much worse for you and could even wind

you up in the hospital because although

there are certain substances you can

sell in this city with all of the proper

paperwork only a very small number of

places have it and there are other

places like this little place right here

that when it's open they could be

selling just about anything and these

places aren't just selling grass some of

them are full-blown Street pharmacies

literally hiding in plain sight near

schools apart Ms it's a disaster plus

these are a black hole of Doom for the

neighborhoods they're in as once one

store turns criminal it's going to make

so much money that the other stores

nearby will be tempted to follow along

which sadly just brings more crime into

these neighborhoods and delies they

already sell stuff that's not good for

you candy snacks chips but drugs those

are the perfect product for a place that

wants to hook you so you become a repeat

customer that's their business model

after all and once one store starts the

others have to follow along or they're

going to go out of business but that

brings us to the real reason why there's

now a massive Crackdown targeting these

illegal businesses regular New Yorkers

they don't want them in their

neighborhoods absolutely not and what

they enable is a sea of substances to

flow into our streets attracting not

only criminals but also possibly getting

into the hands of young people hurting

neighborhoods in ways nobody anticipated

but as you're about to see as the police

shut them down they just come back not

only because they're making millions of

dollars breaking the law but also

because they're making the products they

sell inside the stores themselves

[Music]

so here we have your typical busy street

corner in Manhattan we've got delies all

over the place convenience stores as

some people call them and some of these

convenience stores they look very

legitimate some of them don't look very

legitimate I was just inside this one

they're not doing anything wrong in here

but until the police raid some of these

places there's no real way to know if

the sign out front is just marketing or

an actual indication of what being sold

inside bodegas are the cornerstones of

many New York City communities but this

one was selling a whole lot more than

food coffee and over the- counter

items authorities alleged family Deli

dished out illegal Edibles pre-rolls

magic mushrooms and colorful so on the

outside this place which had over a

million dollars of illegal substances

inside of it looked like your average

convenience store selling sandwiches

selling candy selling chips it even

marketed itself as being family oriented

yet the real products they were selling

destroy families but the first question

this raises is how on Earth is this

being allowed to happen how did we get

to a point where physical stores now

sell illegal products you shouldn't be

able to set up a physical business on

the side of the street that sells things

that are dangerous to random people who

walk in the door but that's exactly what

was happening that's what is happening

at any of these businesses even maybe

this little place right here but the

problem is these places they bring Crime

and other consequences with them into

the neighborhood and how couldn't they

to run an illegal business you have to

become a CRI and that means you start

dealing with criminals and a lot of the

people buying your products they may

very well be criminals themselves but

maybe you're wondering why this place

was marketing itself as a burger joint

SLC convenience store instead of

something else well that's because

businesses that make it a little too

obvious are now getting padlocked and

shut down by the sheriff's department

was it ever in doubt that this place was

selling stuff that they shouldn't have

been selling probably not and the

logical explanation for why places like

this exist all over town on the side of

the street is simple there just aren't

enough people people headed to prison

for doing this and once you see what's

going on inside some of these Places

You'll wish more people were members of

the New York City Sheriff's Office went

in to do an inspection walked out with

$1 million worth of illegal drugs they

found this door the massive stash was

hidden in a back storage room along with

a tent a light and heaters used to grow

cannabis flow on interesting so the

local community ratted this place out

good for them but when police arrived

they found something out of a Hollywood

Movie secret rooms instruments inside

the facility to grow things and then

enhance their potency in ways that could

really hurt somebody it was terrible and

the supposed convenience store had boxes

of stuff from across the world here's

another one that's been shut down by the

city also on the side of the street but

the criminals that run these places are

already on record saying that these

shutdowns and seizures don't even matter

to them which has a lot to do with why

these places keep coming back as soon as

they get closed and why they are now

masquerading as legitimate businesses

this one store owner who was interviewed

says that they are making so much money

that even if the police take everything

they can earn it back in just a short

period of time and that they would even

sell on a plastic folding table on the

side of the street if their business got

closed and you know what that means that

means that person has no fear of going

to jail and a lot of times the penalties

for this are just monetary but these

places are making plenty of that but the

interesting thing is that nobody in the

neighborhoods where these are located

seem to want them to exist because the

unlawful activity taking place at places

like this is destroyed dying communities

all across the city and that's because

our current system of enforcement on

these little places is what allows them

to keep existing and it's why the city

itself is having such a hard time

stopping them from showing up everywhere

because they're allowed to open up

they're allowed to run their business

they're allowed to have the lights on

and a leas and signage and the only way

the bad guys are going to get caught is

when the neighbors call it in and

complain and enough complaints are

generated that it brings a law

enforcement response that's a terrible

system but that's not the only reason

it's not working okay the Bronx raid

comes on the heels of another bust in

Brooklyn earlier this month authorities

not only weeded out one of the city's

largest on licensed pot Distributors but

confiscated a printing press used to

manufacture illegal labels there so the

real issue here is that most of the time

the police are only shutting down the

actual storefronts that sell these

illegal products yes some of these

places make the illegal products inside

but most of it is coming from another

location another distributor if you will

and that place is generally hidden and

the police have trouble finding them and

although we just had a $10 million drug

bust inside of a nightclub that was near

a few of these illegal convenience

stores this is the exception not the

norm and even after these quote unquote

gift shops get shut down if they are

doing something that they shouldn't be

the reason they can come back so quickly

is because all the infrastructure for

them to exist is still out there and

this hurts and damages communities in

more ways than anybody realizes because

now that you've got illegal operations

operating in small little storefronts

like this legitimate convenience store

right here the amount of money that a

landlord can get for renting out a shop

like that has just gone up so now

there's a financial incentive for that

landlord to only work with criminals and

that's going to take little stores like

this that have existed for decades and

force them out force them to shut down

because the landlords can rent their

stores to people who want to sell

something other than products that help

you clean yourself up and don't get

confused these new businesses that are

coming along competing with places like

this they're not just selling stuff for

you that's bad for you it's so dangerous

It could wind someone up in the hospital

and they're getting this garbage from

the most unlikely of

[Music]

places so here we are in a part of town

like many that has a bunch of

storefronts that nobody's using they

look abandoned they look like they might

be renovated either way there's tape

over all the windows you can't see

inside and one of these was being used

as a stash house for a whole bunch of

these illegal convenience stores it's

one of the largest cannabis Bus New York

City sheriff's deputies have ever seen

this Warehouse full of weed gummies vape

pens marijuana flowers and none of it is

legal any idea where the product is

coming

from uh so the bust here happened about

a month ago at a building that people

thought was just a storefront nobody

wanted anything to do with but really it

was something very different the

building was all taped off with fading

paperwork kind of like what you see

right here and tenants figured the

landlord was just trying to get his act

together so that one day it could be

rented out to somebody else but what it

actually was was a warehouse full of

illegal products supplying the stores

that either open specifically to sell

illegal products or to the bodegas that

get tempted to get involved in this kind

of thing and then start selling

something that's bad along with a

hamburger but you know why the place got

busted someone tried to break in proving

that these places are a magnet for

criminal activity no matter what they

are or where they are whoever was

responsible for the Breakin probably

figured whoever was running the

warehouse wasn't dumb enough to contact

the police but it could have been the

landlord could could have been somebody

else in the neighborhood remember

neighbors hate these places they're

watching them and that's really been the

city's biggest defense from their

existence in the first place because

what they're selling is so dangerous it

could [ __ ] a person we know some of

it comes in from overseas that is

completely illegal product and we don't

even know what is in it in fact we saw

this box labeled made in China the

packaging is bright and colorful it

looks like candy it looks like um um

slime it looks like yeah things that my

kids play with it makes me very so it's

not just that these places don't have

licenses to sell something that

naturally grows in the earth and then is

tinkered with relentlessly by human

beings to be as powerful as possible and

as bad for you as possible they're also

mixing in all kinds of weird chemicals

and substances that nobody has any idea

what they are and that is something

people are putting into their bodies

which means it's a good thing that these

places are getting closed fast but

what's also pretty insane is that these

places have their own printing presses

inside to make packaging a lot of it

brightly colored with exciting themes

that looks like it's targeted towards

people who might not be in their late

60s which allow these places to create

products that are sold all across the

city which look legitimate they've got a

high quality design they've got high

quality packaging they look like the

real deal but they're actually more

dangerous than anyone can imagine but

sadly like most of the crime that we've

got flooding through our streets all

over the city it exists because our laws

don't think it's a big deal and don't

seek to punish it so much as that they

seek to actually protect it which means

that the communities and the people who

are being most hurt by this and the ones

who are going out of their way to report

this to police are fighting a battle

they cannot win so so far they're

reporting at least 75 stores have been

closed nearly $6 million in penalties

have been handed down and 3800

violations all issued New York City

sheriff Anthony Miranda confirming

authorities have close to 3,000

locations to investigate violations

penalties seizures okay property gets

confiscated people have to pay fines but

nobody's headed to jail how do the

police and the authorities here think

they're going to beat a system that's

making more money than the fines that

are being levied against them that's

impossible and although hundreds of

these places are getting raided and

closed down we aren't hearing about

hundreds of people filling up our

prisons which means anyone running an

illegal storefront is still out there on

the street plotting their next move

which could be as simple as waiting a

few weeks after your store gets shut

down and then moving to another vacant

storefront nearby the other issue that

the authorities have is that tracking

down the actual owners of these

operations can be quite difficult

because when you shut down a place and

you catch people inside running it they

can say that they just work there and

they'll probably get hit with lowlevel

penalties the actual owners of these

places probably take great steps to

conceal their identities especially if

they're renting a business with the

intent to pay in cash with the intent to

rent it under the name of a corporation

or even a false name the landlord might

not have any idea who they're renting to

and they might not care as long as

they're getting piles of money every

month and the other problem is the

people running these illegal convenience

stores might not even be in New York to

begin with more than $57 million of

illegal cannabis was seized in New York

last year mostly coming from states that

legalized but have seen their growing

outpace heavily consumer demand

California Michigan okay that makes a

lot of sense you've got other states

that are creating the things that are

being sold here illegally and they make

so much of it out of state that they've

run out of customers there are obviously

lots of customers here in New York and

what do they do they import that stuff

here they bring it to warehouses they

bring it to the basements of bodegas

where they repackage it and sell it as

who knows what mixed with who knows what

else and to anyone living in a community

that is negatively affected by the

presence of stores like this that sell

things that might get into the hands of

kids one of the big Revelations is that

this is what happens when you

decriminalize something that might not

be good for people and the fact that

there's no penalty on the customer who

buys an illegal product because that's

been decriminalized as part of the

problem the customers that are coming to

these places and supporting them nothing

happens to them either now legislatively

the decriminalization of certain

substances in this city has already

happened that cat is out of the bag it's

not going back in but the city has a new

plan to help try and fight these stores

from popping up and that is finding the

landlords like look you got all these

vacant storefronts right here landlords

can't rent them out some guy comes along

with a fancy fur coat and says hey man

I'll give you thousands of dollars a

month to just let me run my convenience

store here well if that convenience

store turns out to be one of these

illegal places and they're selling

chicken wings and other stuff along with

them the city will actually now be able

to find the landlord up to $50,000 per

instance if they've called for one of

these places to get shut down and the

land landlord has not gone through with

an eviction proceeding against that

business but the problem there is it

costs the landlord money and maybe they

don't necessarily know that a criminal

wants to be their tenant I'll admit

that's definitely a stretch if you rent

to somebody who turns out to be a

criminal you probably didn't do your due

diligence on them but the reason this is

such a massive problem with these

illegal shops popping up all over the

place is because New York has decided

that it's going to take this type of

crime and punish it the same way it does

everything else by not punishing it and

what that unfortunately means is that

when borad is no longer paying the bill

in the rent it might be time to sell

something else especially if the people

operating one of these little

convenience stores only have a few

months left on their lease anyways what

have they got to lose the worst thing

that happens to them is they spend money

on a new sign that claims that now

they're a smoke shop which isn't exactly

selling tobacco products they operate

for a few months they make as much money

as they can and then they vanish or

worst case the authorities roll in shut

them down and hit them with a fine that

just comes out of their profits which

reveals the real reason that we've got

such a problem with these we've got laws

in this city that don't Stamp Out crime

instead they reward it by creating

lowrisk High reward opportunities for

people who 20 years ago would have been

in the back of a police car but now

they're living out in the Hamptons maybe

is that what's happening are the laws we

have here in this city the reason we

have this problem will the city ever fix

it or are they just going to be shutting

down one store while two others open up

let me know what you think thanks for

watching I'll see you in the next video