New York City prosecutors say they are vowing to prevent Times Square from devolving back into the “bad old days” after charging a group of men for running a “24-hour open-air bazaar for the sale of crack cocaine” there.

Six of the suspects were taken into custody Monday while two remain at large, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York. Prosecutors allege the operation lasted between at least December 2019 and this August along 43rd St and 8th Avenue in Manhattan, in the vicinity of the Crossroads of the World. 

“As alleged, the defendants operated a veritable 24-hour open-air bazaar for the sale of crack cocaine in Times Square,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement. “We recall the bad old days of a much seedier Times Square that was unwelcoming, and we are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those days remain just a memory.” 

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