Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the closure of an unlicensed cannabis shop that operated at 103-17 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, blocks away from a public park and a junior high school. More than 30 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of approximately $38,200, were confiscated, as well hundreds of packages of cannabis product, following a search of the premises.

According to the investigation, surveillance operations revealed the ongoing illegal sale of cannabis and related products through a roll-down steel gate at The Smoke House, at 103-17 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. In addition, at approximately 8 p.m. every night, the store’s gate opened and customers entered to purchase the illicit products that were prominently displayed throughout the interior. A search of the store was conducted by members of the NYPD, Sheriff’s Office and DA Katz’s Detective Bureau on January 10 at approximately 8 p.m. This operation is part of the District Attorney’s ongoing effort to rid Queens of illegal cannabis dispensaries, whether operating out of trucks and vans or brick-and-mortar commercial locations. Since November 2022, enforcement operations have resulted in the prosecution of 313 individuals for felony-related charges related to the sale and/or possession of cannabis or controlled substances in Queens. To date, the following items – with an estimated combined value of more than $25 million – have been seized from more than 400 suspected illegal cannabis dispensaries in Queens County.

A total of 272 shops in Queens County have been padlocked since July 2024 through the assistance of the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD.