The latest government crackdown of unauthorized smoke shops, “Operation Padlock to Protect,” continues across Norwood and Bedford Park as two smoke shops and a deli were recently shut down and untaxed cigarettes, vapes, and bags of cannabis were confiscated.

 

Tipped off by a police radio transmission, Norwood News heard a police officer from the 52^nd Precinct requesting the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) to cut through a lock on a commercial business located on East Gun Hill Road in Norwood at 1.38 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. [The NYPD is looking to limit the media’s access to such radio transmissions next year.]

 

Police officers were already inside Gun Hill Exotics, located at 346 East Gun Hill Road, between Decatur Avenue and Hull Avenue. Inside the shop, a man in a t-shirt and shorts was observed talking to officers and reading some documents, while a member of the ESU was observed cutting through the store’s lock with a saw. Officers later removed at least four bags of what appeared to be contraband from the store.

 

According to the New York City Sheriff’s Office, the Joint Compliance Task Force conducted an inspection at Gunhill Exotic 1 Corporation, which was “inspected and padlocked” after the seizure of tobacco products, flavored vape products, THC vape products, and cannabis flower, as well as THC pre-rolls and THC edibles.

 

One resident told Norwood News the shop had been previously raided. When queried, the Sheriff’s office confirmed this was the case. A spokesperson at the Sheriff’s office said, “This location was inspected previously on May 30, 2024, in which no cannabis products were found and therefore the location was not padlocked.”

The spokesperson added that the prior inspection “resulted in the seizure of other tobacco products and flavored vape products.”

 

At the same time, a simultaneous raid was being carried out at the Organic Smoke Shop at 236 East Gun Hill Road, between Kings College Place and Tryon Avenue. The near-empty store saw a potato chip rack with loaves of bread on three of the shelves, while two others were empty. A white unmarked Sheriff’s vehicle arrived with an NYPD 4 X 4, joining another NYPD van already outside the store.

 

One male resident of the area watching the joint operation was asked if he remembered the marijuana crackdown of the 1970s. He replied, “Oh, come on, you know it! I was smoking then, you know, that sh*t; it was easier then.” He said of the latest crackdowns, “The government’s getting their cut.”

 

Asked if he was in favor of pot shops on every street corner, the man replied, “No, not that many; there’s too many. They can’t all get rich.” The man added, “When it first started, it was alright.”

 

According to the Sheriff’s office, the Joint Compliance Task Force inspected and padlocked the Organic Smoke Shop. Authorities said the inspection resulted in the seizure of untaxed cigarettes as well as other tobacco products, flavored vape products, and an undetermined amount of marijuana.

 

The Sheriff’s office reported no arrests at either East Gun Hill Road location.

 

Also on Aug. 8, the Sheriff’s office reported an inspection of Connie’s Deli, located at 240 East 204th Street in Bedford Park, which they say resulted in the seizure of 13.8 cartons of untaxed cigarettes which they said were recovered “from a concealed compartment” inside the deli.

 

On Saturday, June 8, SeshNYC, the first brick-and-mortar New York State licensed dispensary in the north Bronx held its grand opening at 4219 Webster Avenue in Woodlawn Heights. SeshNYC is owned by Richard Montero and Anthony Rivera, two Bronx-born and raised entrepreneurs.

 

“It’s a dream come true for us to get this store open in The Bronx, said Rivera, co-owner of SeshNYC. “For the last year, we’ve been doing deliveries across The Bronx, Upper Manhattan and Lower Westchester. We’ll still do deliveries but now have a storefront and a big parking lot for our customer’s convenience.”

 

Rivera added, “We’re doing this the right way, selling tested products, paying taxes, giving back to the community and can’t wait for people to check us out in person. We’re most proud of the people who make the SeshNYC family. We hired locally from The Bronx, and they’re doing the work to educate consumers and offer the best customer experience in the best borough.”

 

According to the New York City Sheriff’s Office, since Operation Padlock began, the task force has closed more than 715 unauthorized locations citywide, including 160 in The Bronx. During those raids, officials issued over $59 million in civil penalties and confiscated over $28 million in illicit products.

 

Meanwhile, on July 12, New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) issued a recall on all cannabinoid hemp products, including the “Sky High” brand, produced by Eat Sky High LLC. Officials said the unregulated products were sold through licensed cannabis and cannabinoid hemp dispensaries throughout New York State.

 

They said the affected products were produced by an unlicensed cannabinoid hemp processor and have multiple safety violations posing a risk to public health and safety. They said the recall was a precautionary measure because the required testing for consumer safety and product quality couldn’t be confirmed. They said OCM didn’t receive, at that stage, any reports of adverse effects caused by the consumption of the products, and an investigation into the matter was ongoing.

 

Violations pertaining to the products included, but were not limited to processing by an unlicensed facility; amount of THC-A present in the product; unverified testing of product to OCM standards; labeling violations including but not limited to missing warnings, processor information, and lot numbers; production with hazardous food products, as defined in the law; and misleading labeling, making the product appear to be an authorized adult-use product with NYS Universal Symbol imagery.

 

These products include, but are not limited to dessert toppings including caramel drizzle 500mg THC-A, white chocolate 500mg THC-A, strawberry drizzle 500mg THC-A and chocolate drizzle 500mg THC-A, dipping sauces including honey mustard 500mg THC-A, honey garlic 500mg THC-A, ranch dressing 500mg THC-A, sweet n’ sour 500mg THC-A, and Chipotle mayo 500mg THC-A.

It also includes condiments including ketchup 500mg THC-A, BBQ sauce 500mg THC-A, hot sauce 500mg THC-A, mayo ketchup 500mg THC-A, and sweet chili 500mg THC-A, and ice cream/gelato/sorbet, including grape 200mg/500mg THC-A, guava 200mg/500mg THC-A, mango 200mg/500mg THC-A, coconut 200mg/500mg THC-A, snickers 200mg/500mg THC-A, chocolate 200mg/500mg THC-A, green apple 200mg/500mg THC-A, watermelon 200mg/500mg THC-A, passion fruit 200mg/500mg THC-A, fruity pebbles 200mg/500mg THC-A, and cookie monster 200mg/500mg THC-A.

 

Officials said dispensaries and distributors had to cease distribution and sales of the affected products immediately.

 

They said consumers who purchased any products produced by Eat Sky High LLC and who wish to return the recalled products can contact the retail dispensary where they were purchased and return them even if they are opened.

 

OCM officials reminded consumers to report any incidents related to the use of such cannabis products or any others by completing an incident form available at https://cannabis.ny.gov/report-an-incident. They also said to seek immediate medical attention or advice if experiencing a serious or troublesome cannabis-related symptom(s) and to call a health care provider or the Poison Center at (800) 222-1222.

 

Signed into law by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 31, 2021, among other elements, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) permits the use of cannabis by adults of 21 years and older, and automatically expunges or removes records of cannabis-related convictions.

 

As outlined in the MRTA, the cannabis industry is regulated and administered in New York State by the Cannabis Control Board (CCB), which oversees the distribution of licenses to individuals looking to start cannabis-based businesses. The aim of MRTA was to invest 40 percent of all tax revenue generated by cannabis sales back into communities devastated by the “War on Drugs.”

 

In 2018, then-New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer conducted an analysis of such convictions and identified a list of neighborhoods across the five boroughs with the highest, average, cannabis-related arrest rates from 2010 to 2017. Nearly half of all Bronx neighborhoods were among the top ten. They included Concourse, Highbridge, Mount Eden, Belmont, Crotona Park East, East Tremont, Bedford Park, Fordham North, Norwood, Morris Heights, Fordham South, and Mount Hope.

 

In addition, the racial breakdown of total cannabis arrests during the same period was 53 percent Black, 35 percent Latinx, 11 percent Asian, and 3 percent White.