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Bed-Stuy Smoke Shop Forced to Close After Mass K2 Overdose Reopens

By Camille Bautista | September 12, 2016 4:14pm
 The smoke shop at 926 Broadway near Myrtle Avenue at the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick reopened in August following a court ordered closure in the aftermath of a K2-related mass overdose.
The smoke shop at 926 Broadway near Myrtle Avenue at the border of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick reopened in August following a court ordered closure in the aftermath of a K2-related mass overdose.
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DNAinfo/Camille Bautista

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A smoke shop shuttered by the city after a mass K2 overdose in Bed-Stuy has been allowed to reopen, according to court documents.

The business at 926 Broadway near Myrtle Avenue opened its doors after a temporary closing order was lifted on Aug. 13, records show.

Officials said Dream Burner Smoke Shop, located near the intersection of what locals dubbed the epicenter of a K2 epidemic, sold the drug to undercover police officers.

An inspection by the Office of the Sheriff of the City of New York netted 160 packages of the synthetic drug during a Feb. 29 bust, according to court documents. Another inspection in June resulted in the recovery of 21 packages of synthetic drugs.

Detectives also bought pouches of K2 under brand names like One Wish, Ice Dragon, Wet Lucy, Caution and Scooby Snax at the store in the past year, officials said.

In July, more than 30 people overdosed on K2 near the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Broadway, leaving users vomiting and collapsed on the sidewalks.

Shortly after the incident, officials raided local delis but did not find any K2.

The NYPD filed nuisance-abatement actions against the smoke shop and the bodega next door, Big Boy Deli Grocery at 930 Broadway, which was accused of selling untaxed cigarettes.

Court records show that a search warrant at the deli also resulted in the recovery of two packs of alleged K2 in May.

READ MORE: What is K2? The Drug Behind The Mass Overdose in Bed-Stuy Explained

Following the temporary court order to close the smoke shop in July, a judge signed off on its reopening in early August.

There are no restrictions on the business following its reopening, said attorney Lance Lazzaro who represents both Big Boy Deli and the smoke shop in the civil cases.

“We are discussing a possible settlement,” he added.

An NYPD spokesperson said negotiations are ongoing in the cases.

An employee at the smoke shop declined to comment on the reopening.

At Big Boy Deli, manager Mustafa Alsaidi said the bodega is not affiliated with the smoke shop, though he admitted the deli sold K2 in the past and stopped after the city banned it.

Representatives for the deli and smoke shop are due back in court on Oct. 21 for the nuisance abatement cases.

Some locals at the Bed-Stuy/Bushwick border said the intersection has cleaned up since the July mass overdose, and police remain posted outside the two businesses.

“It feels a little bit safer,” said resident Anthony Montana.