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<\/a>NEW YORK ATTORNEY General Letitia James attends the inauguration of bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson on Feb. 1, 2026, at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. State Comptroller Tom Di Napoli is seated to her left.<\/p>\nNew York Attorney General\u00a0Letitia\u00a0James announced Friday, April 10, what was described as a coordinated enforcement action to stop the illegal sale and distribution of \u201cdangerous, unregistered pesticides\u201d in New York City.<\/p>\n
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Officials from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said they staged a surprise inspection of three wholesale warehouses in The Bronx and served cease-and-desist letters as part of an ongoing investigation into a hazardous pesticide supply chain.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNew Yorkers should never have to worry that the products being sold in their communities could seriously harm their families,\u201d said\u00a0James. \u201cThese illegal pesticides are dangerous and unregulated, and my office is\u00a0taking action to stop\u00a0the flow of these products at its source. I am grateful to DEC for its partnership in protecting public health and keeping our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Officials said the enforcement action found and quarantined illegal pesticide products in two of the three warehouses. They said illegal pesticides pose serious health risks to humans and need to be disposed of securely to prevent contamination. They said the pesticides targeted in OAG\u2019s enforcement action are often misused for household pest control, which they said is particularly dangerous given the lack of proper ventilation.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, \u201cThe use of unregistered pesticides is unlawful in New York State and poses potential significant risks to human health and the environment. She added, \u201cThis coordinated effort involving DEC\u2019s Division of Law Enforcement and Bureau of Pesticides Management and the Office of the Attorney General should serve as a reminder to wholesalers, distributors, and retailers across the state that DEC and our partners will be out in force this spring and summer to ensure the proper and legal use of pesticides as we work to protect families in New York City and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
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OAG officials said the investigation is focused on the illegal sale of \u201cSniper,\u201d a highly toxic, unregistered insecticide that they said has been linked to numerous poisoning cases reported to the New York City Poison Center.<\/p>\n