One mayoral hopeful isn’t very high on the city’s effort to crack down on illegal pot shops.
City Comptroller Brad Lander is launching a probe into rival Mayor Eric Adams’ high-profile “Operation Padlock” program that has closed about 800 unlicensed cannabis shops in the city since mid-May.
Lander announced the investigation into Operation Padlock in an Aug.1 letter to city Sheriff Anthony Miranda — two days after officially announcing his bid to run against Adams in the Democratic primary for mayor.
Some politicians and government analysts said the move reeks of conflict of interest now that Lander is looking to unseat Adams.
Lander’s letter — obtained by The Post — said the investigation “will review the department’s enforcement of laws barring the unlicensed retail sale of cannabis, and its fiscal impact on the City.”
Lander requested information and records related to complaints, inspections, violations, enforcement actions — including padlocking and items confiscated — and financial penalties imposed by the city.
The comptroller was particularly interested in information the sheriff’s office and other mayoral agencies have on landlords or property owners of buildings where weed was illegally sold.
“What records does the Office of the Sheriff maintain on persons or business entities that lease the location where illegal cannabis products are sold?” Lander asked.
Firms accused of illegally selling marijuana have a right to appeal the closure of their business through the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, or OATH.
“How many retail operations are known to the Office of the Sheriff that have unlawfully reopened after an enforcement action?” Lander said in his request to the sheriff.
“How many retail operations are known to the Office of the Sheriff that have reopened after
successful appeal to an OATH Administrative Law Judge?”
In his letter, Lander suggested his pot probe was in the interest of bolstering the padlock operation, not to embarrass the Adams administration.
“We appreciate that this is a high-profile operation with numerous complexities. We are invested in ensuring that you have the resources needed to make a sustainable, long-term impact, in the best financial interest of the City of New York,” Lander told Miranda in the letter.
Lander sent an initial query to the sheriff for information about cannabis enforcement on July 3. Deputy Sheriff Warren Glover sent a response to Lander on July 11, seeking clarification on whether the comptroller was conducting an “audit” or “investigation.”
Lander followed up on Aug. 1 to say it was an investigation.
A Lander spokesperson insisted on Sunday that the comptroller is doing the job he was elected to do.
“New York City has seen a proliferation of illegal weed shops that seem to reopen as fast as the City closes them,” the spokesperson said. “We sent an initial letter to the NYC Sheriff shortly after new State legislation went into effect so we could monitor the City’s implementation of the new law.”
The cannabis enforcement program has not been without controversy. In a bombshell whistleblower lawsuit obtained by The Post, a former undersheriff claimed that the city’s cannabis cops were conducting pot raids that were illegal.
But one political consultant claimed it’s now a blatant conflict of interest for Lander to investigate his political opponent Adams.
“This is an outrage. It’s absurd,” said veteran campaign and PR maven Hank Sheinkopf.
“Lander should step down if he’s running for mayor. You can’t audit your opponent, It’s a conflict of interest. It’s completely unethical.”
Queens Councilman Robert Holden also said he would question the merit of any audit that Lander’s office conducts on the Adams’ administration.
“Everyone should be suspicious of Lander’s actions. He’s running for mayor,” Holden said.
“Everything he does will be motivated to make Mayor Adams to look weak or second guess him.”
A City Hall spokesperson said the mayor’s office “will comply” with the comptroller’s probe.
Sheriff Miranda, whose office is the leading agency in cannabis enforcement, also vowed to cooperate with the inquiry.
“The support from our elected officials and the community have been overwhelming in helping us achieve our goal,” Mirana told The Post. “The notification of the Comptroller’s investigation was surprising, especially given our success, but our office will comply with the needs of the inquiry.”
The law legalizing the recreational sale of marijuana was approved by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature in March 2021.
But the statute failed to adequately deal with enforcement, and authorities have estimated that as many as 250 smoke shops illegally sold cannabis in the city, crowding out the budding legal market. There are now more than 150 licensed cannabis operators in the state, with some 70 located in the city.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers approved a law earlier this year making it easier for regulators and law enforcement forces to raid and padlock illegal shops.
Hochul and Adams have held several press conferences about the ramped-up enforcement.
Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations, praised the recent crackdown on unlicensed cannabis shops, including scores in her Upper West Side district.
But she did not second guess Lander’s probe of the pot padlock program — and said she’s holding her own committee hearing on cannabis enforcement on Sept.17.
City officials said they’ve imposed $65 million in civil penalties from offenders, but Brewer she wants to know how much has been collected for city coffers. She suspects illegal operators are refusing to pay, she added.
“I’m interested in getting the money,” Brewer said.
