Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday, July 31, that 779 smoke shops have been shuttered across the city since May as part of Operation Padlock to Protect.
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
A targeted operation launched in May to shut down illegal smoke shops has led to the shuttering of over 195 locations in Queens and hundreds more throughout the five boroughs, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at a press conference in the Bronx Wednesday.
The Mayor’s announcement celebrated a months-long campaign to rid New York City streets of illegal cannabis vendors as part of “Operation Padlock to Protect”— a multi-agency task force comprised of the NYC Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP).
The Adams administration revealed a total of 779 shops were shuttered across New York City since the task force’s inception in May, with $65,671,487 issued in fines and $41,443,792 seized in illegal cannabis products.
The mayor expressed his appreciation of the agencies responsible for enforcing Operation Padlock to Protect, as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislators in Albany who expanded their enforcement powers through legal reforms. Hochul attended the press conference, which was held in a Bronx warehouse filled with confiscated cannabis products.
“In the three months since launching Operation Padlock to Protect, our administration has delivered major results on a major quality of life and public safety issue,” Adams said.
Queens Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, who first introduced legislation calling for local municipalities to be given greater powers to shutter smoke shops, joined the mayor at the announcement.
Rajkumar’s SMOKEOUT Act paved the way for city legislators to combat the rise of illegal smoke shops in their districts. While her bill did not become law as a standalone piece of legislation, much of what it entailed made its way into the state budget.
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