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NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A cannabis dispensary that was being operated out of a converted school bus in Queens and marketed to children with candy-like product names was shut down and the vehicle was seized, the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday.
Anthony Stevens, 62, of Brooklyn was charged with the unlawful sale of cannabis, unlawful possession of cannabis and criminal possession of cannabis. He received a desk appearance ticket and is expected back in court on July 2.
Undercover detectives from the district attorney’s office made a controlled purchase from Stevens’ unlicensed mobile cannabis dispensary, called “The Green Empress,” several times.
On June 12, district attorney’s office detectives and NYPD officers executed a search warrant at the dispensary, which operated on the corner of 43rd Street and Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, before the bus was impounded.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office seized a converted school bus that was operating as a cannabis dispensary and selling candy-like products marketed toward kids in Sunnyside, Queens, prosecutors announced on Friday.
Photo credit Queens District Attorney’s Office
The Queens District Attorney’s Office seized a converted school bus that was operating as a cannabis dispensary and selling candy-like products marketed toward kids in Sunnyside, Queens, prosecutors announced on Friday.
Photo credit Queens District Attorney’s Office
Officials recovered one cannabis chocolate bar, six disposable concentrated cannabis straws, several Ziplock bags containing cannabis, and several cannabis products with candy names like “Skittles,” “Gummy Sharks,” “Strawberry Puffs,” “Warhead Sour Medicated Chewy Cubes,” “Stoney Patch Kids” and “Jolly Ranchers.”
All this product equated to nearly two pounds of cannabis, prosecutors said.
“You cannot operate a cannabis dispensary that is unregulated and marketed toward our children,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Unlicensed marijuana sellers have become the subject of numerous community complaints because the unregulated product is often targeted to young people and has actually sickened customers.”
There are 133 licensed adult recreational-use cannabis dispensaries in New York state, including 14 in Queens.
The seizure of “The Green Empress” is part of ongoing efforts by the district attorney’s office to rid Queens of illegal cannabis dispensaries, and since November 2022, 286 people have been prosecuted for charges related to selling or possessing cannabis-controlled products in Queens.
“Such dispensaries also evade tax revenue for public services and undercut legal vendors who prioritize safety and compliance,” Katz said. “My office will continue to crack down on illegal dispensaries that pose a serious threat to public health.”
“}]] A cannabis dispensary that was being operated out of a converted school bus in Queens and marketed to children with candy-like product names was shut down and the vehicle was seized, the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday. Read More