NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday that her office won a $6 million judgment against an unlicensed cannabis store in Brooklyn.
Big Chief Smoke Shop in Bay Ridge sold cannabis without a license for over a year, despite repeated orders from the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and law enforcement to stop, according to James.
The Attorney General’s office secured a court order last year shutting down the store and requiring its owner to pay nearly $5.9 million in penalties for illegal sales and defying OCM’s orders, along with $121,000 in forfeited profits and $44,000 in legal costs and attorney’s fees.
“Rules and regulations, especially over the cannabis industry, are designed to protect New York consumers and keep neighborhoods safe,” James said. “Big Chief Smoke Shop ignored repeated warnings to stop operating without a license and instead they kept their doors open, putting New Yorkers at risk.”
New York law requires anyone cultivating, processing, or selling cannabis to be licensed by the state’s Cannabis Control Board. Big Chief Smoke Shop had been illegally selling cannabis since at least November 2022, according to James. Despite multiple inspections, violation notices, and cease orders from regulators, the store continued operating, leading to a court order shutting it down in December 2023.
“My office secured a $6 million judgment against the owners of Big Chief Smoke Shop for brazenly violating the law and disrupting the local community,” James said. “Hopefully this judgment will serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can ignore our laws and endanger our communities.”