14 The Courier sun • APRIL 10, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Photo courtesy CBP Global lime shortage squeezes local bars, restaurants By Sophia Rosenbaum [email protected] Brother, can you spare a lime? Frequent customers at El Rey Del Taco truck may be confused when they open the Styrofoam container with their tacos to find a wedge of lemon, instead of lime, in their trays. Limes are too expensive for the taco truck to afford right now, as a global lime shortage is affecting restaurants and bars throughout Queens. Most of the limes used in the U.S. come from Mexico, where heavy rains and an infectious tree disease affecting the lime crop have forced lime prices to quadruple over the past few months. “Unfortunately, Mexico received some heavy rains that destroyed a large amount of the lime crop, so with limited supplies, we are seeing lime prices skyrocket,” said Lindsey Pope, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Agriculture. At local supermarkets like Key Food and Trade Fair, three limes cost $3. Three months ago, customers could buy a dozen limes for the same price. In the past few months, prices for 10-pound cases of limes have gone from about $30 to about $120. While the taco truck can get away with replacing limes with lemons, some businesses are not afforded that option. “We do a lot of custom cocktails, so not using fresh juice just isn’t an option for us,” said Vincent Vee, the beer and event manager at Station House in Forest Hills. Vee said it’s common for prices of fresh fruit to fluctuate, especially when natural disasters like droughts affect Mexico, but that this lime shortage has been especially long. “The prices are staying up a little longer than normal this time,” he said. “We’re hoping they come down soon.” Like other restaurants and bars, Station House is limiting its lime garnishes and ensuring that its employees use the limes in the most efficient way possible. Limes are an integral part of many Mexican dishes. Fresh lime juice makes up a third of most traditional margarita recipes. Mojave, a Mexican restaurant in Astoria, is trying to limit its use of limes to the bare minimum. “We’re just trying to compensate,” said Maya Stephanov, a bartender at Mojave. Stephanov said that limes are a staple at almost every bar in the city, as a slice of lime is often paired with vodka cranberries, gin and tonics and other specialty drinks. Beware of Green Dot MoneyPak scam: NYPD BY KATRINA MEDOF [email protected] Police are alerting residents about a scam involving Green Dot MoneyPak cards. In the scam, victims are contacted by a caller who claims to be from a utility company or the IRS and states that money is past due. The caller then informs the victim that they can avoid having their utilities disconnected or being arrested or deported by making an immediate payment. The caller tells the victim to go to a store and purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak Card and place a certain amount of cash on the card. The victim is instructed to call back with the card in hand, scratch off the back of the card and read the serial number to the perpetrator. The scammer then drains the funds from the card. `Scammers may also claim that a relative or friend has been in an accident and that an immediate payment is required or that a relative or friend has been arrested and needs bail money. Green Dot MoneyPak cards themselves are legitimate products; consumers can use them to reload other prepaid cards, add money to a PayPal account without using a bank account or make same-day payments to major companies. These scammers are instructing victims to use MoneyPak cards because, unlike in scams involving wiring money, scammers do not need to show up at an office to claim the funds. Utility companies and government agencies will not contact anyone demanding immediate payment by Green Dot MoneyPak, according to police. People should be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason. The NYPD is asking anyone with information about this scam to call 1-800-577-TIPS. JFK PASSENGER CAUGHT WITH COCAINE-FILLED MEAT BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] @CristabelleT An arriving passenger faced some beefed-up security when he allegedly tried to smuggle cocaine through John F. Kennedy International Airport last month. Yudishtir Maharaj had just come off a flight from Port of Spain, Trinidad, on March 20, when U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped him for a baggage inspection, CBP said. During the search, they found three large packages of meat in his luggage, according to officials. They allegedly discovered white powder inside the meat, which tested positive for cocaine. In total, officers seized more than seven pounds of the drug, the CBP said. Maharaj faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York, according to CBP. Photo courtesy of NYPD THE COURIER/Sophia Rosenbaum Maya Stephanov, a bartender at Mojave in Astoria, only puts limes in drinks that require it due to the shortage.
SC04102014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above