What looks like an ordinary row of street vendors in Washington Heights is, in reality, an illegal outdoor pharmacy, according to the NY Post.
Along roughly half a mile of St. Nicholas Avenue, between West 179th and West 183rd streets, vendors openly sell prescription medications from folding tables, offering everything from antibiotics and pain medications to erectile dysfunction pills and over-the-counter remedies.
The Post writes that the operation stretches across about 10 blocks, with dozens of nearly identical setups displaying loose blister packs, bottles, and boxed medications. Many of the products are sourced from the Dominican Republic, where some prescription drugs can be purchased far more easily than in the United States, before being brought into New York and resold.
Vendors were willing to explain what each medication was for and how customers should take it. Antibiotics such as amoxicillin and ampicillin were among the most commonly offered drugs, alongside anti-inflammatory medications, Viagra, Cialis, vitamins, and cold remedies.
According to several sellers, business begins each morning around 9 a.m. They wheel in carts loaded with merchandise, set up umbrellas and tables, and remain on the sidewalks until early evening. Some estimated they can clear $300 or more on busy days, with profits coming from marking up inexpensive medications purchased overseas.
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