Two men were arrested in Manhattan on charges of conspiring to distribute narcotics through an Inwood smoke shop, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino. The arrests followed an investigation that connected the smoke shop to multiple large-scale drug operations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and New Jersey.
Mujahad Ali and Quirino Garcia Diaz were taken into custody after law enforcement uncovered evidence that they used their smoke shop to supply drug traffickers with cutting agents and paraphernalia. These materials were then used by traffickers to increase quantities of narcotics such as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine for sale.
“Businesses, small or large, that engage in drug trafficking will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, this Inwood smoke shop helped traffickers pump lethal narcotics into our city. New Yorkers want this stopped and we hear them.”
Frank A. Tarentino added: “Once again, we see the reckless lengths individuals are willing to go as they conspire, distribute, and profit from the sale of fentanyl, a drug that is singlehandedly destroying our communities and devastating families. The alleged use of a smoke shop to conceal their narcotics trafficking, which in turn led to the discovery of six drug mills, underscores their willingness to sacrifice the safety of our neighborhoods for personal gain. Illicit narcotic mills have no place in our communities, and the DEA will continue to do everything we can to eliminate these operations and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.”
According to court documents made public with the arrests, between August 2024 and October 2025 Ali and Garcia Diaz sold cutting agents directly to undercover officers who indicated they intended them for mixing with drugs like cocaine and heroin. On one occasion Ali suggested using a specific agent called “fish scale” because it would make cocaine “shine the most.” Law enforcement tracked customers from the shop back to at least six separate locations where narcotics were being processed or stored.
These investigations resulted in at least eight additional arrests—including operators of some of these so-called “narcotics mills”—and seizures of bulk quantities of drugs as well as firearms.
Following yesterday’s arrests law enforcement searched both the Inwood store itself and a nearby storage unit used by Ali and Garcia Diaz. They found rooms filled with cutting agents as well as equipment such as kilogram presses for compressing powder into bricks; sifters; grinders; scales; glassine envelopes; vials; plastic bags—all items commonly used in preparing drugs for distribution.
Ali is identified as a citizen of both the United States and Yemen while Garcia Diaz is a citizen of Mexico. Both face one count each of conspiracy to distribute narcotics—a charge carrying up to life imprisonment if convicted.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie L. Dang from the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Officials emphasized that all charges remain accusations until proven otherwise in court.
