An illicit open-air prescription drug market in Washington Heights has quickly resumed operations, with vendors returning to sell medications on city streets just days after a New York Post investigation led to a police raid. The market, which had been shut down by the NYPD, saw approximately 10 vendors setting up tables along St. Nicholas Avenue between West 180th and West 181st streets by Friday.
These vendors were observed selling a range of products including prescription painkillers, erectile dysfunction pills, antibiotics, vitamins, and other over-the-counter medications. This resurgence occurred three days after law enforcement officers dispersed sellers and confiscated their merchandise. Six of the vendors were reportedly back on Saturday.
The return of the market has drawn criticism from local residents and business owners. A local pharmacist operating legally on the same street expressed frustration, stating, “I don’t think it’s right, but what can we do?” The pharmacist also criticized city officials, suggesting that Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYPD are not adequately addressing the issue.
Among the items being sold were popular prescription drugs such as Amoxicillin and Viagra, as well as unapproved rat poison reportedly from the Dominican Republic. One customer, Juan Castillo, who was buying an antibiotic for his wife, acknowledged the safety concerns of purchasing medication on the street. He cited the high cost of healthcare and prescriptions for those without insurance as factors driving people to seek alternative, albeit less safe, options. "She used it before," he said. "But we don’t feel safe, because we don’t know what’s in the medicine, if it’s past the date. But we don’t have many choices."
The illegal market had previously been detailed in a Post report, which described nearly two dozen vendors selling various medications across a 10-block area between West 179th and West 183rd streets and St. Nicholas Avenue. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the market's reappearance.