A 911 call reporting a home invasion at 194 West Neck Road in Southampton early Thursday led police to something far bigger than a burglary: roughly 1,000 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale inside the house. Southampton Town Police arrived to find a man with a laceration to his head, while other parties involved in the incident had already fled the scene.
The call came in at 12:56 a.m., and according to Patch, officers quickly determined the residence had been targeted specifically after spotting bulk marijuana in plain sight once they got inside. As reported by News 12 New York, detectives observed a large quantity of marijuana in plain sight inside the home, prompting investigators to seek a search warrant for the property.
From Burglary Scene to Drug Task Force Callout
Southampton Town Police contacted the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office East End Drug Task Force after the discovery, according to News 12 New York's report.
Once the search warrant was executed at the West Neck Road address, police seized roughly 1,000 pounds of marijuana that had been packaged for sale and distribution, according to police cited by News 12 New York. Antonio Velay, 27, of Southampton, was arrested in connection with the seizure. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to face a felony charge of criminal possession of cannabis, per the outlet's report.
What Velay Could Be Facing Under State Law
Under New York Penal Law § 222.40, Criminal Possession of Cannabis in the First Degree is a Class D felony triggered when someone knowingly possesses more than 10 pounds of cannabis or four pounds of concentrated cannabis, according to the Militello Law Firm. At 1,000 pounds, the amount seized in Southampton is roughly 100 times that threshold. A conviction on that Class D felony carries a maximum sentence of up to seven years in state prison and fines of up to $5,000, according to Cody Warner P.C.
New York's cannabis laws also draw a sharp line between personal use and bulk distribution. Adults 21 and older may legally possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis flower for personal use under the 2021 Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, per the Militello Law Firm's breakdown of the statute. The 1,000 pounds recovered in Southampton amounts to roughly 16,000 ounces — a gap that helps explain why bulk unlicensed quantities remain subject to New York's harshest felony cannabis statutes even after legalization. Separately, knowingly and unlawfully selling cannabis or concentrated cannabis weighing 100 pounds or more is defined as Aggravated Criminal Sale of Cannabis under Penal Law § 222.65, according to the Dupée Law Firm's reading of the statute, leaving open the possibility of additional charges tied to the packaging found at the scene.
A Pattern of Bulk Seizures Across the Region
The Southampton seizure echoes a downstate case in Bayside, Queens this past May, when law enforcement recovered nearly 1,000 pounds of packaged marijuana valued at an estimated $10 million from a single residential property, according to reporting cited by Hoodline's earlier coverage of that bust. The Bayside case involved a large quantity of packaged marijuana recovered from a residential property.
Patch also covered a separate Montauk trafficking bust involving the East End Drug Task Force.
The scale of coordination isn't new for the task force. In August 2024, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and the East End Drug Task Force announced a 329-count indictment against 29 defendants across three major drug networks, described at the time by the Suffolk County News as one of the largest joint law enforcement operations in county history.
Southampton's detective division is asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward. Investigators can be reached at 631-702-2230.
