Two men from Brooklyn have been charged after a massive illegal marijuana seizure from a Queens warehouse, where police found $10 million worth of cannabis and other drugs on Tuesday.
The investigation, initiated in August, was a joint effort involving the NYPD, New York City Sheriff’s Office, and the Queens District Attorney’s Office. After securing a search warrant, officials entered a warehouse on Little Neck Parkway in the Floral Park area of Queens. They discovered approximately 8,000 pounds of cannabis, in addition to crystal meth and psilocybin, the active compound found in magic mushrooms.
Awad Aziz, 31, and Muneer Kassim, 34, were arrested near the warehouse and charged with multiple counts of criminal possession, including the illegal possession of marijuana. Court documents reveal that they could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on these charges.
Both men pleaded not guilty in Queens Criminal Court, where they were ordered to appear again on November 12.
Police also uncovered a separate area inside the warehouse where cannabis was being processed into concentrated products. These extracts were being loaded into cartridges for vaping. The illegal marijuana seizure required two dump trucks to transport the entirety of the confiscated drugs.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz emphasized the risk posed by these illegal operations. “The proliferation of illegal cannabis shops stems from large warehouse operations like this, which operate without oversight. These unregulated and untaxed products can be dangerous, and we are committed to stopping them from reaching our communities,” Katz said.
Attorney Albert Dayan, who represents both Aziz and Kassim, claimed that his clients maintain their innocence. Dayan argued that the search warrant was based on police observing people carrying boxes into and out of the building, and asserted that the authorities must prove his clients’ involvement in handling the illegal substances.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kieran Linehan, part of the Queens District Attorney’s Major Economic Crimes Bureau, with involvement from the NYPD Queens South Narcotics and the NYC Sheriff’s Office.
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