A regulatory inspection of a Lower East Side smoke shop allegedly led law enforcement to seize 13 pounds of crack /cocaine from on Friday.
Officers with the Sheriff’s Joint Task Force arrested the person who was behind the counter of the shop at 20 Clinton St. after making the find in the back of the shop.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban and New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan announced the arrest of Mazen Tahhan, the shop clerk, whom law enforcement believes to be an employee, not the owner of the shop, after he was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court over the weekend.
It is not routine for the special prosecutor to get involved in cannabis shop inspections. The special prosecutor’s stated mission is to pursue high-level narcotics trafficking organizations and distribution schemes.
Brennan, the agency head, said in a statement that the “case demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts to address the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops,” adding the agency will continue to investigate whether cannabis shops are concealing narcotics.
“When unlicensed cannabis operators allegedly run afoul of the law, they pose a public safety and health risk to our communities and destabilize the legal industry,” said Caban. “The NYPD and our task force partners will continue using every resource available to enforce existing regulations and, most importantly, to protect New Yorkers from all manner of illicit drugs.”
Lower East Side pot shop inspection leads cops to 13 pounds of crack/cocaine
