FROM THE VILLAGE SUN | During an inspection of a tobacco shop in the Lower East Side, where there was suspicion of selling cannabis without a license, more than 6 kg of crack cocaine were seized, according to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Drug Offenses and the police.
Mazen Tahhan was reportedly standing behind the counter at around 12:45 p.m. on Friday, August 9, when members of the New York Sheriff’s Office Joint Compliance Task Force arrived at the store at 20 Clinton Street.
Tahhan was reportedly the only person on site. Packaging for cannabis products and other cannabis paraphernalia were reportedly nearby and in plain sight.
Officers entered an office space in the back of the store and discovered a large quantity of alleged crack cocaine in large zip-lock bags and white plastic containers. Also in the office were several scales, thousands of empty glassine envelopes and plastic capsules, and hundreds of empty paper wrappers, all allegedly used to package narcotics. Officers reportedly recovered the keys to the store and $1,876 in cash from Tahhan.
After searching the location, Tahhan was arrested by intelligence officers from the New York Police Department’s 7th Precinct. An on-site test by New York Police Department officers determined that the narcotics seized were cocaine.
Tahhan was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Saturday, August 10, where a judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 surety.
A criminal complaint filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Attorney charges Tahhan, a Brooklyn resident, with first- and third-degree unlawful possession of a controlled substance and second-degree unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. New York City Special Narcotics Attorney Bridget Brennan and Police Commissioner Edward Caban announced the arrest on Monday.
“This case demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts to combat the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops,” Brennan said. “We will continue to investigate whether cannabis shops are hiding dangerous narcotics to protect the health and safety of our communities.”
“The safe sale and distribution of legal cannabis in New York City requires a licensed, regulated and standardized industry,” Caban said. “When unlicensed cannabis operators allegedly violate the law, they pose a risk to the public safety and health of our communities and destabilize the legal industry. The NYPD and our partners on the Task Force will continue to use all available resources to enforce existing regulations and, most importantly, protect New Yorkers from all types of illegal drugs.”
The Joint Task Force is comprised of members of the Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The NYPD’s Narcotics Borough Manhattan South and Midtown North Precinct also assisted in the investigation.
