Q&A
Council member Holden questions Sheriff Miranda about illegal cannabis shops and enforcement challenges
1:34:46
·
3 min
Council Member Robert F. Holden questions Sheriff Anthony Miranda about the nature of illegal cannabis shops in New York City and the challenges in shutting them down. They discuss the prevalence of standalone cannabis shops versus mixed-use establishments, enforcement strategies, and the process of sealing non-compliant businesses.
- Sheriff Miranda explains that they encounter both standalone cannabis shops and mixed-use establishments.
- The conversation highlights the difficulty in permanently closing shops, especially those that sell other products alongside cannabis.
- Sheriff Miranda outlines the process of issuing cease and desist notices, conducting follow-up inspections, and sealing non-compliant businesses.
Robert F. Holden
1:34:46
Thank you, Cheers.
1:34:49
Thank you, Sherry, for your testimony today.
1:34:51
I'm sorry.
1:34:51
I was running back and forth.
1:34:52
I had another hearing over at 2:50.
1:34:55
So if I asked a question that was already answered, I apologize for that.
1:35:01
But Are you seeing the illegal pots sales?
1:35:06
Are they a stand alone?
1:35:08
Most of them stand alone pot shop, illegal pot shop, or are they mixed with the Bodego or something else?
1:35:15
What are you seeing on the street?
Anthony Miranda
1:35:18
We see boats.
1:35:19
So we see locations that are clearly Which
Robert F. Holden
1:35:20
one which one would be the the the the more regular, meaning that the undercover that you're doing sometimes when you see a shop and they're they're they're usually like 90% other things like even food and so forth and then 10% pot or are they just you know, is this prevalent throughout the the city?
1:35:46
Where they're mostly just illegal pot being sold or drugs.
Anthony Miranda
1:35:52
I kinda think that it's a combination of 2, not one, but
Robert F. Holden
1:35:55
it was no one or the other.
Anthony Miranda
1:35:56
I I don't believe so.
1:35:57
I think that we have a a fair distribution of both.
1:36:00
That require us to respond to.
Robert F. Holden
1:36:01
So which one is harder to shut down?
1:36:04
That's what I'm going on.
1:36:05
It's because we we we rated some some shops, especially on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village in my district.
1:36:12
We closed a few But the ones that stayed open are the ones that are doing kind of all the you know, they're selling other things.
1:36:19
They're selling food.
1:36:20
They're they're they're they have a grill in there.
1:36:24
So they're still open, and they're still doing business right across the street from a legal establishment.
Anthony Miranda
1:36:32
So again, I think some of the inspections that we did were also prior to us having the authority for sealing.
1:36:37
Now that we have the authority for sealing, if we go in and we find the threat factors, the imminent threat factors, then we can close them down the first visit.
1:36:45
Otherwise, we'll go in and give them a cease and desist notice.
1:36:48
And then we have they already go back and inspect them 10 days later.
1:36:51
So we found after 10 days that they are still in violation, then we can go back in, and then we can seal them immediately.
David Nicponski
1:36:58
You
Robert F. Holden
1:36:58
just padlock them and how long is that last?
1:37:00
Do they they gotta get a court order or what happens on that?
Anthony Miranda
1:37:03
Once the location is sealed, they have a hearing within they're scheduled to have a hearing within 5 days that they choose to.
Robert F. Holden
1:37:10
Yeah.
1:37:10
Because what we're seeing is that there are many of them are opening up right away.
1:37:14
Many of them are staying in business, but most of them are the mixed areas.
1:37:20
That means they're doing other things in their grilling I mean, legal stuff.
1:37:24
But there the pot is I mean, in in the 1 and I I just spoke to the owner of the legal shop.
1:37:30
He says he went in there, and there were there was a line out the door on the pot part of it.
1:37:35
And but they're grilling.
1:37:36
They're they're making hamburgers and hot dogs and everything else too.
1:37:39
So That's why I I don't know if it's harder to shut them down or it's just as easy.
Anthony Miranda
1:37:44
It takes more than one visit to those locations.
1:37:46
It may take a different type of operation sending in some underage people to purchase.
1:37:52
So depending on the circumstances, we're happy to discuss it further.
1:37:55
But depending on the circumstances there, we may have to change the normal operation and approach it differently.
Robert F. Holden
1:38:00
Again, thank you thank you so much for your testimony, and I wish there were more of you guys.
1:38:04
So thank you so much.
1:38:05
Thank you, Cherish.
