Over 1,000 illegal weed stores shut down in New York: Hochul

Editor's Note: The video was originally published on July 24.

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Law enforcement agencies have shut down over 1,000 illegal cannabis storefronts in New York since April, including over 750 in New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday.

The New York City closures were part of Operation Padlock to Protect. Mayor Eric Adams' administration has issued over 41,000 violations that amount to more than $65 million in penalties.

The city estimates it has seized a total of $41 million in illegal products, according to officials.

Hochul said she plans to speed up the legal licensing of cannabis to help the industry grow.

Operation Padlock to Protect was launched three months ago to shutter illegal vape shops in the Big Apple. Two operations in July led to the seizure of a combined $8 million of illegal products, the biggest seizure to date, according to officials.

The bust of a Throggs Neck deli that stored illegal drugs in the back earlier this month turned up products targeting children, according to the New York City Sheriff's Office. Authorities likely seized $1 million in products during that takedown.

The Sheriff's Office also raided a large store on Timpson Place in the Bronx, seizing over 1,200 pounds of unregulated drugs, according to officials.