Many facilities have vending machines in place to help employees get through their day, or, to keep customers sated while they move from store to store. Some vending machines, however, serve a much more nefarious purpose. Like the 3 non-permitted machines in the town of Brookhaven, New York (located on Long Island) that were found to be dispensing crack pipes.
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On Monday September 10, 2018, town officials in Brookhaven, New York (located on Long Island) held a news conference to discuss a few mysterious machines that popped up out of nowhere.
The initial reports were made by members of the community when the 3 machines appeared both on private property and state roads in Suffolk County. The plainly decorated vending machines were and appeared to be selling pens for $2 each. In response to the calls, a member of the local fire department went to examine the dispenser; he put in the required 8 quarters and was thoroughly surprised to receive a crack pipe for his efforts.
While the ‘package’ did contain the innards of a ball point pen house in a glass tube, Brookhaven supervisor Edward Romaine noted that the tube also contained a package of screen filters, which one would use when smoking crack.
While they don’t have any leads on suspects at the moment, they do have some details regarding the illicit machines. Apparently, the vending machines were tampon dispensers that had been stolen from bathroom facilities in the area. They were then placed on posts, installed in 8-inch deep holes, and were cemented in place.
While the selling of pipes is not illegal in the state of New York, stealing vending machines and installing them on private property (without permission) or state property (without a permit) certainly are. The two vending machines recovered by the town were turned over to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office following the press conference as evidence in the ongoing investigation.