A block where migrant vendors allegedly make illegal profit by selling goods from other retailers in the area has been raided and shut down by the NYPD, following news coverage on the market by local outlets.
The Jackson Heights street had formed an under-the-radar migrant shopping district where goods reportedly stolen from nearby businesses were sold outside at a steep discount.
Frustrated store owners in the area have complained about products being stolen from their shelves to be sold at the market.
On Monday just after 4:30 p.m., cops and city staffers raided the outside market, grabbing the merchandise being sold by the vendors, including discounted blankets and beach towels laid out on the sidewalk on Roosevelt Avenue along 91st street.
Some of the vendors who were allegedly tipped off by affiliates watching the market were able to evade the police, packing the products into their cars and driving away just before they arrived.
“We responded today… We’ve been here before, whether it be brothels, illegal bikes, vending now. So, this will be a continuing process. It’s gonna take a while but we owe it to the residents of Queens,” said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
According to Chell, the sanitation department and and other agencies took part in the raid.
Roosevelt Avenue has also recently seen a rise in sex workers being out during the day and night, and reportedly, when the NYPD conducted its raid, they hid indoors to avoid the cops.
City records cite that there have been more than 311 complaints so far this year about the illegal businesses allegedly being conducted on the block and the state of the street itself, with concerns about deteriorating conditions and illicit activity.
According to Kaz Daughtry, the police department’s spokesman, there were no arrests made during the raid on Monday.
