Was an NYPD Detective Caught on Camera Swiping Almost $3,000 From a Deli?

On Friday, two plainclothes New York City police officers raided Yemen Deli and Grocery in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, arresting two workers there for selling untaxed cigarettes. But according to the store's manager Ali Abdullah, one of the cops—a detective named Ian Cyrus—noticed a Dutch Masters box under the counter. When he opened it, he discovered nearly $3,000 in cash inside, and—Abdullah is alleging—quickly stuffed the money into his coat pocket.

What Cyrus apparently didn't realize is that Abdullah has a 12-camera security system installed in his store. After noticing the secret stash had been lifted, he checked the footage. "I was thinking it was a robbery, because I never seen the video," Abdullah told a local news reporter.

The Daily News reports that Cyrus has been suspended pending an investigation, and that his supervisor, Sergeant Fritz Glemaud—among the most-sued cops in NYC—has been placed on modified duty.

The deli raid comes nine months after an order from Chief of Department Philip Banks to crack down on untaxed cigarette sales set off the chain of events that led to Eric Garner's death on Staten Island via police chokehold. The NYPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the incident, whether that directive remains in place, or whether it was part of a larger initiative. (Banks has since resigned.)

In New York State, 56.9 percent of cigarettes are smuggled. That's because they cost more here than anywhere else in the country, with a $4.35 tax per pack, and the prices are even higher in the city because there's an additional $1.50 tax per pack tacked on.

NYPD Internal Affairs and the Brooklyn DA's office are both reportedly investigating Friday's bust.

"When I look at my system, I see the officer took the money," Abdullah, the store manager, said. "It's crazy."

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