See more of our coverage in your search results.
Pill Street Blues is canceled.
NYPD cops busted up an open-air prescription drug market in Washington Heights Tuesday — days after an exclusive Post exposé revealed brazen dealers publicly peddling meds with impunity.
At least six police cars swarmed the sprawling street pharmacy along West 181st Street, sending pill peddlers running with their stashes.
“Why are they doing that?” one passerby asked.
“Because they are not paying their taxes,” another joked.
The pill market was featured in a Post exposé Saturday detailing how nearly two dozen vendors sold an assortment of medications — from painkillers to erectile dysfunction drugs to antibiotics — across 10 square blocks between West 179th to West 183rd streets and St. Nicholas Avenue.
Dealers continued to sell as storm clouds gathered Tuesday, with local resident Carlos Martinez waving off the bazaar as nothing new.
“They have the same things on the street and on the pharmacy,” he said.
One dealer hawked pills and cream variously from Honduras and the Dominican Republic for $5, much lower than the prices listed on the bottles, which were as high as $30.
Another sold vitamins from Walgreens and CVS, in addition to other items he said were from Africa.
The pills-for-all came to a sudden halt as someone ran up West 181st Street near Wadsworth Avenue shouting in Spanish, “Police! Police!”
One man bundled most of wares in a sheet, tied it up and threw it on the sidewalk. Other vendors ran as cops swarmed.
The pills-for-all came to a sudden halt as someone ran up West 181st Street near Wadsworth Avenue shouting in Spanish, “Police! Police!”
The police officers hauled the remaining goods — merchandise, milk crates, umbrellas and folding chairs — and tossed them into a sanitation truck.
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Never miss a story.
One worker from a nearby store came out to watch.
“They could kill people,” she said, referring to the pills.