Transcript: Mayor Adams Ships 1,246 Pounds of Seized Illegal Vapes to be Destroyed and Keep New Yorkers Safe

October 16, 2024

Sheriff Anthony Miranda: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. I'm Sheriff Anthony Miranda. To speak to the success of the Padlock to Protect operation, we have conducted over 7,000 inspections. We have closed over 1,200 locations. We have seized over $80 million worth of illegal products. And we have issued over $100 million in civil penalties to this enforcement. 

This is the authority that the mayor has fought to give to us as of May of this year. Just in the few months, the success of the program has spoken loudly in our communities, and people have seen the difference in the changes that it takes. Had it not been for the advocacy of Mayor Adams and the elected officials who are bringing this authority to us, who just arrived in May to be able to seal these locations, you would not have seen the seizures and the success of Operation Padlock to Protect. On that note, I'd like to turn it over and introduce the New York City mayor.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, sheriff. We could pass the legislation. We could get Albany to respond like our partners did. We could put all the apparatuses in place, but if we don't have a real leader to be zero focus on this initiative, it would not get done, and that's what you have provided for us. 

When you think about it, 1,200 illegal locations were shut. You're looking at the results of that, not only what we've done with cannabis, now with these vapes and these products clearly focus on our young people, and the goal is to get them hooked on these products, and it becomes part of the economics of really dealing with the health care crises that we're facing among our young people. This is a contributor. These are dangerous products, and that's why they have been made illegal. When you look at how attractive they may be to young people, it's clearly focused on how do we get our young people to use these dangerous products. 

And so I want to thank the commissioner and the sheriff for the partnership and how we've been able to make sure Padlock to Protect continues to be successful, overwhelmingly successful in their actions and activities. So today we're saying goodbye and good riddance to products that endanger our children and undermine our quality of life. This is what we wanted to accomplish when we got the legislation passed in Albany. I cannot say enough about our partners up there that understood we needed to localize the enforcement and allow the local law enforcement apparatus to do what they do best, and that is to identify the shops, close them down, make sure that they receive appropriate fines, and make sure that the products are destroyed and never to return to our streets. 

Our administration was clear and laser focused on that. When you look at the over $80 million worth of illegal products that were removed off our streets, you see that those $80 million that we insure illegal profits are not made. And you're seeing a thriving cannabis industry doing what it was supposed to do by allowing legal cannabis, well-tested and regulated products to be sold in our city. So this 1,200 pounds that you're looking at today that is going to be destroyed and moved from our city, this is just a fraction of what we have collected, and there's much more to come. 

These dangerous unregulated and untaxed products, unregulated and untaxed, are on their way out of the city to Ohio where they will be destroyed and secured in environmentally responsible facilities. The products contain batteries and other hazardous material and must be disposed of safely. And we need to make room in our evidence warehouse for future confiscations, and that is what the Sheriff's Department and his team and NYPD is doing every day. We're not going to tolerate this disorder on our streets, and that includes illegal sales of drugs, vapes, and other illegal cannabis products.

And, again, I want to thank the commissioner of the Department of Worker and Consumer Protection, the sheriffs, and the NYPD for their swiftly and successfully expanding the enforcement that we got the legislation to enact us to do. New York City has seen nine straight months of crime, and as I bring on the police commissioner, nine straight months of crime decrease. 

These men and women have clearly stepped up. When you look at the overall index crime, down over 3 percent in September, over 3 percent for the quarter, and 2 percent year-to-date. And last month alone, we saw decreases in homicides, robberies, burglaries, and grand larceny, as well as drops in transit crimes and car theft, which was really a problem we had to wrap our hands around. We've taken over 1,000 ghost cars off our streets, and we remain the safest big city in America. 

The goal is to make us the safest city in America. And I'm proud of the record and proud of all the men and women who have carried out this function. And I want to now turn it over to the interim police commissioner, Tom Donlon.

Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. During my last assignment with the Joint Terrorist Task Force, I met the sheriff here, Miranda. And to me, he impressed me with his ability, his experience to handle a situation like this. And it was the right selection for Mayor Adams to appoint the sheriff to handle this massive, massive undertaking. So he's done a fantastic job, and I applaud him for all the work he's done, him and all his people that work for him. 

Anyway, good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here today. And thank you, Mayor Adams and all our partners, for making this possible. As we always stress, it's our partners. You can't do things alone. You can't operate in a vacuum. It's got to be the task force concept, no matter what you address in this city, whether it's federal, state, or local issues. Today, it's important for all the people to understand that we are here, that this Operation Padlock to Protect has significant strides in shutting down illegal smoke shops and seizing dangerous products. 

The truck you see to my left is filled with 1,200 pounds of vapes, and they are all set to be destroyed today. They were being sold illegally throughout all five boroughs, which is important, all five boroughs. But most importantly, they pose a serious risk to our city's young folks. Since he successfully advocated in Albany, and the mayor has worked with Albany throughout the years, even while he was a state senator representing Brooklyn, he still has a major connectivity interacting with all those individuals, both in the state and the assembly. And that's important for the city, that he has that connectivity. He's able to go up to Albany and speak to all the legislators.

Mayor Adams has sent a clear and consistent message throughout the city and to myself, my office, and the entire law enforcement community. We will not allow anyone to profit at the expense of our children. So I wanted to thank the mayor for his unwavering commitment to this. You know, as the mayor and I have spoken, it's all about accountability. People have to be accountable, and that's one thing the mayor has stressed so many times. When you address a situation, get it resolved, give me a solution, and we have to be accountable, which is so, so important. Because we're not just enforcing the laws here, we're making sure that all our children of all ages, all ages, are safe. 

I want to thank everyone involved in this ongoing joint operation, especially the Sheriff's Office, as I mentioned before, and the Department of Consumer and Workers Protection. Together, we're getting the job done for all New Yorkers. Thank you very much.

Question: I wanted to ask, is this all from one shop? And then just to clarify, is this illegal cannabis products or vaping?

And then I had a question for the sheriff. There's been some controversy about the cash seized at these illegal shops. The City Council recently sent a letter to you. Do you plan to respond to that letter, given the information that they brought?

Mayor Adams: Sheriff, do you want to answer both of those questions?

Sheriff Miranda: The vapes come from many locations. There's no controversy. I addressed that question in NY1 when we did the interview. There is no controversy about missing money. We are answering the questions of the City Council that's being prepared now as we speak. And we've been cooperating. And they get communications from our office on a regular basis.