That’s whack: Illegal LES pot shop was also selling crack 

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | An inspection of a Lower East Side smoke shop suspected of selling cannabis without a license resulted in the seizure of more than 13 pounds of crack cocaine, according to the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office and police.

Mazen Tahhan was allegedly standing behind the counter on Fri., Aug. 9, around 12:45 p.m., when members of the New York City Sherriff’s Joint Compliance Task Force arrived at the shop, at 20 Clinton St.

Tahhan was allegedly the only person in the place, with packaging for cannabis products and other cannabis paraphernalia reportedly nearby in plain view.

Officers entered an office space in the back of the store and spotted a large quantity of alleged crack cocaine inside large zip-lock bags and white plastic containers. Also present in the office were multiple scales, thousands of empty glassine envelopes and plastic capsules and hundreds of empty paper films, all allegedly used for packaging narcotics. Officers reportedly recovered the keys to the shop and $1,876 cash from Tahhan’s person.

Following the search of the location, field intelligence officers from the Police Department’s 7th Precinct arrested Tahhan. A field test by New York Police Department officers identified the narcotics seized as cocaine.

Tahhan was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Sat., Aug. 10, where a judge set bail at $50,000 cash or $150,000 bond.

A criminal complaint filed by the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor charges Tahhan, a Brooklyn resident, with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree. Bridget Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor, and Police Commissioner Edward Caban announced the arrest on Monday.

“This case demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts to address the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops,” Brennan said. “We will continue to investigate whether cannabis shops are concealing dangerous narcotic drugs 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 run afoul of the law, they pose a public safety and health risk to our communities and destabilize the legal industry. The N.Y.P.D. 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.”

The Joint Task Force is comprised of members of the Sherriff’s Office, the N.Y.P.D. and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The N.Y.P.D.’s Narcotics Borough Manhattan South and Midtown North Precinct also assisted with the investigation.