The NYPD on Monday raided a troubled Jackson Heights block where migrant crooks peddle stolen goods and hookers ply their trade in broad daylight — one day after an exposé by The Post.
Cops and city staffers converged on the illicit open-air market shortly after 4:30 p.m., grabbing merchandise sold by illegal vendors at a steep discount on blankets and beach towels laid out on the sidewalk along Roosevelt Avenue near 91st Street.
But the bigger fish slipped through their fingers — as thieves were tipped off by spotters who keep watch on the shady operation, sending the vendors scrambling to pack the goods into waiting SUVs and screeching off mere seconds before police arrived.
“We responded today,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at the scene. “We’ve been here before, whether it be brothels, illegal bikes, vending now. So, this will be a continuing process. It’s gonna take a while but we owe it to the residents of Queens.”
Chell said police, the sanitation department and other agencies took part in the raid.
The Post reported Sunday that the Queens neighborhood had deteriorated into an illegal migrant shopping district where goods stolen from nearby retailers were sold outside at steep discounts.
Frustrated merchants complained that they see merchandise snatched from their shelves for sale on the sidewalk — but are helpless to do anything about it.
One underground vendor boasted a full display of power tools still bearing tags from a nearby Home Depot.
Meanwhile, sex workers prowl the street from early morning, with madams pointing out potential johns, a a local walk-up serving as a sleazy bordello.
The Post returned on Monday to find that many of the larger crooked vendors had taken the day off — scared off by TV news crews who suddenly appeared.
Periodic drive-by patrols by cops — with the nearest precinct less than five blocks away — also served to put a chill on the illegal goings-on.
When the NYPD raid materialized, sex workers slipped indoors to wait out the cops.
Kaz Daughtry, the department’s spokesman, confirmed there were no arrests made on Monday.
City records show that there have been more than two dozen 311 complaints so far this year about the shady business on the block, including gripes about unsightly conditions and illicit activity.
But locals complain that once the police are gone, it’s business as usual.
“They’ll be back. No question,” said Eliot, who works in the neighborhood. “The TV cameras and the cops ran them off today, but they’ll all be back tonight.
“Most of them are standing right there right now,” he said, motioning down the block.
