A Queens District Attorney’s office press release details a major cannabis bust in NYC, with six individuals facing charges for their roles in a large-scale illegal cannabis operation. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the interception of the smuggling ring which was transporting thousands of pounds of unregulated cannabis from California. Over 2,000 pounds with an estimated street value of $2.5 million were seized from two trucks and storage locations in Maspeth and Long Island City.
According to the district attorney’s statement, “the defendants ran a large-scale operation, illegally transporting thousands of pounds of illicit cannabis into this borough.” The press release affirms that illegal operations can lead to harm within communities, highlighted as a justification for the rigorous approval protocols legal cannabis shops must go through in the state. Katz’s office worked closely with the New York City Sheriff, NYPD, and the DEA to ensure these unlicensed products did not distribute in the city.
Arrested individuals include Eduardo Lopez, 29, and Courtney Ferguson, 40, both from Manhattan, along with Emerson Ramos Garcia, 24, of Bayside; Jose Carbajal Enamorado, 24, of Jackson Heights; and Erzhena Mitupova, 34, and Anna Migal, 47, both from Kew Gardens. They were charged with first-degree criminal possession of cannabis. If convicted, each could serve between 2 1/3 to seven years in prison…