NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office shut down an illegal cannabis shop operating across the street from a playground in Sunnyside, and a woman who worked there has been charged, prosecutors announced on Monday.
“This shop, which was located across the street from a playground, had become the subject of numerous community complaints,” Katz said. “We will continue our enforcement actions on unlicensed [cannabis] dealers who sell unregulated products that are often targeted to children.”
On Friday, Nov. 1, detectives from the district attorney’s office, NYPD officers and officials from the New York City Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the Green Point Convenience Corp. at 42-18 Greenpoint Ave. in Sunnyside, located across the street from the Thomas A. Noonan Playground.
Inside, detectives found a large quantity of cannabis flower in a glass container and cannabis-infused edibles. Estefania Palaquibay, 22, who worked at the establishment, was also found to have psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) in her bag.
Palaquibay, of Woodhaven, was arraigned Saturday on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis. She is expected back in court on Jan. 7.
This operation is part of an ongoing effort to shut down illegal pot shops in Queens. According to Katz, with the help of the NYPD and NYC Sheriff’s Office, 208 shops have been padlocked.
To date, illegal substances—including 5,000 pounds of edible gummies, 7,750 pound of cannabis flower, hundreds of pounds of edible psilocybin and over 15,500 cannabis vape pens—worth over $23 million have been seized.
Katz also noted that illegal dispensaries fail to pay tax revenue, and claimed that they “undermine licensed sellers who prioritize safety and compliance.” There are currently 226 licensed adult recreational-use cannabis dispensaries in New York state, and 21 in Queens.