The NYPD pulled off a late-night raid on a sleazy, migrant-run brothel along Queens’ infamous “Market of Sweethearts” on Wednesday, officials said.
Cops from the vice squad and the 110th Precinct converged on the Roosevelt Avenue storefront in a lawless stretch of Jackson Heights first exposed by The Post — hauling away both sex workers and customers, police said.
“This brothel was the worst of the worst,” Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate said. “It operates 24 hours.”
Monserrate, a former state lawmaker, said the sex workers are forced into prostitution to pay off debts of up to $50,000 to human traffickers.
“A large part of the credit for this action goes to the New York Post that has been on this issue,” he said. “The migrant crisis has contributed to the crime — the sheer number who came here in a short period of time. Some of them are part of organized crime rings.”
A woman with a mask over her face stands near Roosevelt Avenue and Case St. NYPJThe Post has published several reports on the seedy strip, where migrant hookers ply their trade while drugs and stolen goods are peddled on the sidewalk in broad daylight — in some cases just steps away from the beleaguered retailers that had the merchandise stolen off their shelves.
The NYPD has pulled off several raids on the block, packing up the stolen goods and shutting down the illegal vendors — only to see the migrant crooks return after police leave.
Mirella Gutierrez, co-owner of Victory Pharmacy near Roosevelt Avenue, called the Wednesday night raid “a good step forward” — but said retailers on the block remain skeptical.
A female looks at her phone while standing near Roosevelt Avenue and Case St. in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. NYPJ“But there’s prostitution all over,” Gutierrez said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s shameful.”
She said the migrant vendors and hookers clog up the sidewalk and scare customers away, taking a bite out of her business.
“They feel threatened,” Gutierrez said. “I tell the vendors they have to make space so the customers can come in. I don’t want to hear any more promises. This is the worst it’s ever been.”
“What is this, ‘Sin city?’ They want to destroy our neighborhood.”
Merchants have long told The Post that the number of hookers walking the block doubled in recent months, while shoplifters had become increasingly brazen — even threatening shop owners.
“It’s getting worse,” supermarket manager Jesus Diaz said. “It used to be when we catch them stealing, they saying, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, please. I’ll never do it again.’
The Post has published several reports on the migrant sex workers in the “Market of Sweethearts.”
Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate called the brothel “the worst of the worst,” NYPost“Now they’re getting angry. They’re trying to punch you, telling you, ‘You’re going to have a problem.’ Telling you, ‘We’re coming back and you’re going to have some real trouble.'”
More than 200,000 migrants have flocked from the US border to the Big Apple since 2022, with about 65,000 still housed in city-funded shelters and tent facilities.
