The New York City Sheriff's Office says it seized marijuana and bags filled with illegal tobacco products like flavored vapes and untaxed cigarettes from a smoke shop on Staten Island.

The city sheriff says he is responding to neighborhood complaints combined with routine tobacco inspections.

NY1 got an exclusive ride with the office as it went to multiple locations throughout the borough.

"A lot these products are not regulated by the government," First Deputy Sheriff Maureen Kokeas said.

The inspection is part of a renewed effort by the office. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, deputies were not able to go out on enforcement missions as often due to safety concerns.

"These are routine inspections of stores who are selling illegal cigarettes and other tobacco products, and most of the time, when we do these inspections, we also find these other illegal items in the stores, from vaping products to flavored products such as marijuana pills," Anthony Miranda, the city sheriff, said.

And that is exactly what they say they found during Wednesday’s inspection.

In addition to illegal smokable products, investigators say they found THC, the main psychoactive element of cannabis, on display that looked just like ordinary candy.

It is still illegal in the city for businesses to sell recreational marijuana and THC.

The state has yet to license any dispensaries in the city.

Most flavored tobacco products and vapes are also illegal. The sheriff says this is a matter of public safety.

"When you started to roll up on the stores, there are a bunch of people standing outside who's trying to scattering and things like that, so they create bad, bad points of contact inside the community," Miranda said.

The office says there has been an increase in community complaints about businesses. The sheriff warns sellers of illicit products that Wednesday's inspection was just one of many coming to neighborhoods across the five boroughs.