REGO PARK, Queens (PIX11) -- Authorities have shut down a van selling illegal weed, including edibles resembling candy, near a school and park in Queens, officials said Monday.
The white van, which looked like a mini school bus, was in business for several weeks while parked on Woodhaven Boulevard underneath the Long Island Expressway in Rego Park, drawing several complaints from community members, according to Queens District Attorney Melina Katz.
Investigators did a series of undercover buys at the van before raiding it last week, officials said. Officers recovered four pounds of leaf cannabis, more than one pound of concentrated weed and packaged edibles that looked like M&Ms, Life Savers, and Skittles, prosecutors said.
Three people were arrested and charged with sale and possession of cannabis. They were given desk appearance tickets and have not been arraigned yet, according to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office. Their identities were not immediately available.
NYPD confiscated the van after the bust.
"This illegal cannabis truck was parked just across the street from a school and a few hundred feet from a playground ... We will not relent in our aggressive enforcement actions against unlicensed dealers who sell unregulated products that are targeted to children," Katz said.
Since November 2022, authorities have recovered around $25 million worth of products from more than 400 suspected illegal weed dispensaries in Queens.
Queens' residents can report an illegal dispensary by phone 718-286-6503 or email at [email protected].
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.
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