Over 13 Pounds of Cocaine Seized From NYC Smoke Shop: Prosecutor

NEW YORK CITY — Over 13 pounds of crack cocaine was seized from a smoke shop during a routine inspection in Manhattan last week, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 9, Mazen Tahhan, 37, was standing behind the counter of the smoke shop at 20 Clinton St. around 1 p.m. when members of the New York City Sheriff’s Joint Compliance Task Force entered.

Cannabis packaging materials and other marijuana paraphernalia were in plain sight as officers walked into the shop, prosecutors said.

Officers then entered an office space in the back of the store and saw a large quantity of alleged crack cocaine inside large zip lock bags and white plastic containers, prosecutors said.

Multiple scales and thousands of empty glassine envelopes and plastic capsules, and hundreds of empty paper films, all allegedly used for packaging narcotics, were found.

Tahhan, has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree.

Officers took the shop’s keys and $1,876 in cash from Tahhan.

“This case demonstrates the importance of collaborative efforts to address the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops. We will continue to investigate whether cannabis shops are concealing dangerous narcotic drugs to protect the health and safety of our communities," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said in a statement.