Queens store closed for illegal cannabis sales after exclusive PIX11 report
WOODSIDE, Queens (PIX11) - A Queens convenience store is now padlocked after an exclusive PIX11 News report that highlighted months of community complaints about alleged drug sales.
PIX11 News first aired the report on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, after fed-up residents contacted the station.
During that report, we showed people purchasing items through a hole in a rolled-down security gate. The Queens DA, NYPD, and NYC Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at 42-18 Greenpoint Avenue about a week later, on Friday, Nov. 1.
The store is now padlocked and signs are posted on the store's gate that read "Notice of Order of Closure. Do Not Enter."
The Queens District Attorney's Office said detectives recovered a large quantity of cannabis flower in a glass container and cannabis-infused edibles, as well as untaxed cigarettes.
Estefania Palaquibay, 22, of 91st Drive in Woodhaven was arraigned Saturday on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, criminal sale of cannabis in the third degree, and unlawful possession of cannabis. The Queens D-A's office says Palaquibay was also found to have psilocybin, also known as “magic mushrooms,” in her bag.
Robert Swiderski, the owner of RealTegrity Real Estate in Sunnyside, says the NYPD would respond to 9-1-1 calls, but officers would only talk to people on the sidewalk who had allegedly purchased something. Swiderski tells PIX 11 News "They would talk to them for a couple of minutes and then they would just let them go. It just went on for months."
Dirk McCall De Paloma, who runs the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, says "This is the most wonderful step forward, this has been a huge community nuisance. Your story was a huge hit and we thank PIX11."