An unlicensed marijuana store in Lower Manhattan was fined $50,000 and a worker arrested for selling MJ to a minor.
The New York City Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation at Jungle Boys, according to the New York Post.
Selling marijuana without a license in New York state is currently punishable by a $250 fine, a penalty seen as too lenient to discourage violators.
The Manhattan store is emblazoned with the same logo and font as the licensed California brand Jungle Boys, though it’s unaffiliated.
The storefront is located across the street from City Hall, where Mayor Eric Adams has been mapping out a strategy to rein in hundreds of illicit operators across New York that have gone unchecked for years.
The enforcement came less than a week after the mayor and Manhattan prosecutors announced the borough’s plans to go after landlords leasing property to unlicensed operators.
Those efforts included sending warning notices to more than 400 shops illegally selling marijuana, threatening potential evictions.
As many as 1,400 unlicensed stores are selling marijuana products in New York City, jeopardizing the state’s already uneven rollout of adult-use retail.
Despite legalizing recreational marijuana sales in March 2021 and lofty projections from regulators and the governor, only four adult-use stores are open in the entire state – three in Manhattan and one in Binghamton near the Pennsylvania state line.
