In January of last year, the city sheriff’s office led a raid on the Zaza Waza smoke shop on the Upper West Side, seizing hundreds of illegal tobacco and cannabis products.

Since opening in April 2022, the store has been issued 47 violations. It owes $225,000 in penalties. And on Wednesday night, it was padlocked under orders from the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

But by Thursday morning, Zaza Waza was back open for business.

“That’s pretty lawless, if you ask me,” City Councilwoman Gale Brewer said.

Brewer has sought to highlight the scourge of illegal smoke shops, and planned a news conference Thursday morning to show how the city can successfully utilize tobacco law to shut down unlicensed sellers.

Instead, Zaza Waza only proved the difficulty in shutting down stores that flout the law. Police officers were called to the scene and spoke to the lone employee on site, who closed the store — at least temporarily.

“Their store, I hope, will now be permanently padlocked,” Brewer said. “That’s what I want. I don’t want this young woman to be arrested. I don’t know who her bosses are. I have no idea. And the owners of the buildings should be evicting them.”

City and state officials have been trying and failing for more than a year to curb the proliferation of unlicensed cannabis stores, which have been found to sell unsafe products and often market to kids.

A recent block-by-block survey by Brewer’s office found 53 illegal weed sellers on the Upper West Side, more than twice as many as 15 months ago, when her office counted 26 illicit shops. All but three of those remain open, according to Brewer.

Now, Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul are pushing legislation that would give cities far more authority to padlock stores selling cannabis.

“The state has to give authority to the city, and the City Council has to pass a law to say, ‘This is what authority you have on cannabis. We’re going to all work together,’” Brewer said. “It doesn’t seem like the state has enough inspectors, to be honest with you.”

For now, there are 82 legal dispensaries statewide — 35 in the city. The first on the Upper West Side is due to open in the next few weeks.

As for a cannabis enforcement bill, the state Senate has expressed support for such legislation, but the state Assembly leadership has yet to weigh in.