May 20, 2026 QUEENS, NY A seemingly innocent neighborhood convenience store in Bayside just became ground zero for one of the most sophisticated, high-stakes illegal drug operations New York has seen this year.

Law enforcement officials completely dismantled a massive, unlicensed cannabis ring operating right under the noses of suburban families on Bell Boulevard. What they found inside wasn’t just a few illegal joints—it was a $10 million contraband fortress complete with a secret apartment stash house and a makeshift mechanical pulley system.

The Secret Pulley System and the 2nd-Floor Stash House

To the average teenager or family strolling down Bayside's popular commercial strip, "Bayside Convenience" looked like any other corner shop. But behind the counter lay a wildly brazen operation.

Following a court-authorized raid, investigators discovered that the store owners had rigged a hidden pulley system inside the building. The mechanism was used to lower illegal products down a makeshift chute from a second-floor apartment directly to the ground floor storefront, allowing clerks to rapidly restock for waiting customers.

The second floor wasn't just a warehouse—it was an unpermitted, hazardous maze. City Department of Buildings inspectors rushed to the scene and found that the floor had been illegally chopped up into unpermitted Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units, completely blocking emergency exits and creating a deadly fire trap.

By the Numbers: The $10,000,000 Haul

The sheer volume of unregulated, illicit inventory seized by the NYPD and NYC Sheriff Cannabis Task Force is staggering.

"The sheer volume of unregulated, illicit cannabis and tobacco products recovered from this location is deeply alarming, particularly given that Bell Boulevard is a well-known gathering place for families and teenagers," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said following the bust.

Two Arrested, Facing Major Prison Time

The raid resulted in the immediate arrest of two young men allegedly running the day-to-day operation:

• Saif Ajmal Khan, 27, of Jackson Heights, Queens.

• Haroon Al Nomiri, 23, of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

Both men have been formally arraigned on felony charges of criminal possession of cannabis in the first degree. While they were released on their own recognizance by Queens Criminal Court judges, the legal hammer is looming. If convicted, both face up to 2 ⅓ to 7 years in federal prison. They are ordered to return to court on July 24.

The Great NYC Padlock Crackdown

Bayside Convenience is just the latest domino to fall in New York City's aggressive, ongoing war against the illicit cannabis market. The numbers show authorities are rapidly escalating their enforcement:

352 shops padlocked in Queens since May 2024.

358 illegal dispensaries shuttered citywide in 2025.

89 unlicensed storefronts closed by the Task Force already this year.

"Illegal cannabis and unregulated vape products pose a serious threat to public health and safety, especially when these harmful products are marketed and made accessible to young people," warned NYC Sheriff Anthony Miranda.

City officials emphasize that crushing these rogue operations is the only way to protect the public and allow New York's legal, heavily regulated, and taxed cannabis industry to actually survive. For now, the landlords of Bell Boulevard are facing heavy city violations, a partial vacate order, and a very empty storefront.