NYC Mayor Adams On The Weed Warpath: $6M In Fines, 75 Closures, 4000 Illicit Shop Violations In First Week Of ‘Operation Padlock To Protect’
Dozens of illicit smoke shops have been shut down across New York City during the first week of what Mayor Eric Adams dubbed “Operation Padlock to Protect,” a sustained multi-agency enforcement effort to shut down illegal smoke and cannabis shops across the Big Apple’s five boroughs.
The task force, which includes the NYPD, the sheriff’s office and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, has shut down 75 illegal smoke shops, issued nearly $6 million in penalties and found nearly 4,000 violations.
Following New York state’s budget agreement in April that gave municipalities full regulatory authority to shut down illegal shops, Adams moved quickly to form Operation Padlock.
“Week one of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’ reaffirms what we’ve long said: With the backing of …