NEW YORK — A New York City businessman who sold marijuana illegally at a dozen Manhattan stores must pay more than $400,000 in taxes and proceeds from illicit cannabis sales, as part of a crackdown on thousands of racketeering operations. license throughout the city.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that the company’s owner, Rami Alzandani, will not face litigation as part of a non-prosecution agreement. He can keep his stores open, but he can no longer sell cannabis products.
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management has issued more than 250 licenses for entrepreneurs to open storefronts to sell cannabis in all forms, including edibles, flowers, and vaporizers.
Azandani must pay $103,000 in restitution to the state Department of Taxation and Finance and must also lose an additional $300,000 in illegal proceeds, the district attorney’s office said.
Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the seizure of $11 million worth of illicit merchandise in 33 storefronts during a recent raid on unlicensed stores in New York City, Ithaca and Binghamton.
Since New York legalized recreational marijuana two years ago, relatively few of the stores that have received licenses to operate have opened, allowing illicit shops to continue to thrive.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said public safety is undermined “when there is such a proliferation of unlicensed and unregulated storefronts selling cannabis products that have not been properly inspected.”
His office said it is conducting other criminal investigations and is “in active discussions” with the owners to vacate the stores in violation of state law.
2023-07-18 20:53:40
#Crackdown #Illegal #NYC #Pot #Shops #Begins #400K #Settlement #Landlord
