Self-Storage Facility Used In $2.5M Pot Smuggling Operation

Authorities arrested six individuals this week in New York City in connection with an illegal cross-country marijuana trafficking ring that resulted in the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of cannabis valued at more than $2.5 million.

According to officials, the suspects transported marijuana and cannabis-related products from California using large commercial trucks. The shipments were delivered to a SecureSpace self-storage facility in Maspeth, Queens.

Once at the self-storage facility, the cannabis was allegedly sorted and either moved to another storage location, distributed to dealers, or sold directly to customers. Investigators believe the illicit operation had been running since April.

The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Field Division, the NYPD’s Cannabis Task Force, and the city Sheriff’s Office.

“These kinds of illegal THC products frequently pose a danger to public health,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “It’s exactly why legal dispensaries must go through a strict state-run licensing process.”

On Thursday, all six individuals were charged with first-degree criminal possession of cannabis once it was determined none were licensed to sell cannabis in New York.

• Jose Carbajal Enamorado, 24
• Courtney Ferguson, 40
• Emerson Ramos Garcia, 24
• Eduardo Lopez, 29
• Anna Migal, 47
• Erzhena Mitupova, 34

A Queens judge ordered them to appear in criminal court on dates scheduled throughout September and October. If convicted, each defendant faces a sentence ranging from 2⅓ to 7 years in prison.