The Great Crown Heights Drug Bust

Posted on 09 April 2010 by Sarah

crown heights

Harsh toke, dude.

Following two months of undercover investigation, NYC police raided six Crown Heights businesses on Tuesday for selling marijuana alongside products such as jerk chicken, t-shirts, and CDs.

The offending businesses are all within a ten-block radius – four are on Nostrand Avenue alone – but police say that the drug dealings were not part of a coordinated effort. But coordinated or not, the area saw 170 pounds of drug traffic every week, NYT reports.

Aside from the facts, The Times’ coverage includes two quotes worth repeating:

  • Raymond W. Kelly, the NYC police commissioner, described a “veritable pot-luck event” occurring every day at lunch, when marijuana was available in back rooms, over the counter, and even in the food.
  • Letitia James, a Crown Heights councilwoman, called the busted scene “an open drug bazaar on Nostrand Avenue.”

Whether or not any of the businesses will be able to stay above ground by actually selling jerk chicken and the like is anybody’s guess. For now, though, they remain closed.

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