Low-level drug arrests have surged in the South Bronx commercial corridor known as The Hub, according to the latest NYPD data, as the Adams administration has faced mounting pressure from local business owners and residents to rein in public drug use.
Between January and the end of June, police made more than 800 drug arrests in the 40th Precinct, which covers The Hub. That’s more than double the number of arrests in the first half of last year, according to Gothamist’s analysis of city data. The 40th Precinct had the most drug arrests in the city in the first six months of this year, according to the data.
Nearly two-thirds of those arrests were for misdemeanor charges related to low-level drug possession or paraphernalia. During the same period last year, the majority of drug arrests in the precinct were for felonies, according to city data…