2 unlicensed smoke shops in Niagara Falls shut down in ‘one of largest seizures to date’
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A pair of unlicensed smoke shops in Niagara Falls have been shut down by the city following search warrants conducted on Tuesday, according to city officials.
The searches were conducted at Something Serious Smoke Shop located on Connecting Road as well as First Class Cannabis, located on Hyde Park Boulevard, according to police. An “extremely large” amount of cannabis, cannabis edibles and vape cartridges were allegedly seized at the locations.
Both of the shops were allegedly owned by 49-year-old Lawrence Humphrey, police said. Humphrey’s residence, located on Lincoln Street in Niagara Falls, was also raided. Cannabis products were allegedly seized from the home as well.
The warrants resulted in “one of the largest seizures to date,” according to police.
Humphrey will be charged in Niagara County Court, fined by the NYS Office of Cannabis Management as well as the NYS Office of Taxation after the evidence has been processed. It is currently unclear what charges he will face.
The closures in the Falls are part of a three-month crackdown on unlicensed cannabis shops across the state. As of earlier this week, 345 unlicensed cannabis shops have been shut down across New York during those three months, resulting in the seizure of nearly $29 million in illegal products, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office. Including past closures, state and local agencies have shut down more than 1,000 stores.
There are currently 168 licensed dispensaries across the state open for business. Of those, 15 are located in Western New York.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
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