It’s the art of the drug deal.
Crafty drug dealers in Washington Square Park are disguising themselves as art sellers now that cops are cracking down on the brazen magic-mushroom market following an expose by The Post.
On a recent afternoon, as nine vendors around the fountain hawked framed drawings in the style of Keith Haring and screen prints of cityscapes, at least three drug dealers blended into the scene by lining their stalls with child-like artworks of snails or pink bucket hats – all while selling shrooms and weed under the table.
“We got amazing art! We’ve got some weed, too!” one woman barked at her table, which was draped with a Colombian flag and displayed graffiti-style paintings of pigeons wearing gas masks.
On the south side of the park, a couple at one stall made a half-hearted attempt to look as if they were selling canvas paintings, including one of a dog wearing gold headphones and glasses — but winked at their real trade with a green tablecloth that featured a marijuana leaf.
In the course of an hour, six people ambled over to their stall, many of whom were given a black umbrella to hold as cover. After bending over and handing wads of cash to the woman with marijuana leaf earrings, the man passed them pre-rolled joints from under the table.
“It’s like whack-a-mole,” Greenwich Village resident Steven Hill, 70, said. “[Law enforcement] made some progress . . . but when people are making money, they’re gonna come back.”
The creative camouflage comes after the NYPD arrested a seller who had been openly displaying and peddling psychedelic narcotics while seizing dozens of psilocybin and cannabis products.
Between July 15 and Aug. 3, cops doled out 14 vending summonses and made 12 arrests in the park, compared to just seven summonses and 10 arrests during the same period last year, according to police data.
“You can’t get away with stuff you do here in a different park in New York City. I’ve heard people say that, and the drug dealers know that,” said Village resident Lisa Peralta, 55. “I see them selling right in front of police.”
Many of parks’ bona fide artists, however, are frustrated that they’re getting caught up in a crackdown brought on by their phony counterparts.
“They know who the artists are, they know who the drug dealers are, but rather than using discretion, they’re indiscriminately going across the board to everybody,” griped artist Eric Cook.
“We continue to work in collaboration with NYPD to address unauthorized vending at Washington Square Park,” Parks spokeswoman Izzy Verdery said.
Additional reporting by Stefan Jeremiah
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August 26, 2023 at 10:35PM
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NYC drug dealers now masquerading as artists in Washington Square Park - New York Post
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