More than 1,000 pounds of pot seized at illegal Bayside, Queens dispensary

Over 1,000 pounds of pot, worth $10 million, were found stacked neatly on shelves in an apartment above a smoke shop on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, prosecutors said. 

"It means that a lot of people are coming in and buying product, by the way, where they have no idea what it is. And that's really the dangerous part about these types of shops," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. 

The unlicensed dispensary was busted Thursday by the New York City Sheriff's Department and NYPD. They received multiple complaints from neighbors over the past year. 

"This was a very intricate takedown. This is a very intricate style of selling," Katz said. 

The unlicensed products were hidden in an apartment above the storefront. Authorities say they used a pulley system to send the product down to customers. Investigators allege the cashier below would catch the drugs as they fell from the chute, like a shady drive-thru. 

"This place was open 24 hours a day, no kind of paying any kind of taxes. I pay countless taxes, 13%. They don't do that," licensed dispensary owner Carson Grant said. 

Grant's lawful dispensary is down the block. He said the unlicensed shop, which sold unvetted products without paying taxes on them, was undercutting his business. 

"I'm hopeful for one, finally, these children that used to come here and purchase their stuff, they won't be able to access that anymore, and yes, I do expect to see an uptick in business," Grant said. 

The shop is one 89 unlicensed dispensaries the sheriff has shut down citywide so far this year. They shut down 358 shops during all of 2025. 

The seized drugs will be sent to a lab for testing, authorities say.