Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) has called on Attorney General Todd Blanche to take immediate action to shut down two overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in Manhattan that she says operate illegally by allowing supervised use of illicit drugs, including heroin.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on August 13, 2026, Malliotakis criticized the Biden administration-funded sites located in East Harlem and Washington Heights. She said, "People literally go there like it's a community center, hang out, and shoot up drugs. It's signaling to drug dealers where their clients are located and attracting a criminal element in and around the facility."

Malliotakis accused the nonprofit OnPoint, which runs the centers, of violating federal law under Title 21 of the United States Code Section 856, which prohibits knowingly maintaining any place for the purpose of using controlled substances.

She emphasized the need for the Department of Justice to intervene to prevent the spread of such facilities across New York City and the country. Malliotakis praised a July 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump's administration that directed the Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development to redirect funding from entities operating drug injection or safe consumption sites.

"I'm very pleased to see the President took action via executive order to stop $2 million of taxpayer money from going to a heroin shooting gallery, which is an absolutely insane use of taxpayer funds," she told Fox News Digital.

A Justice Department spokesperson provided a statement to Fox News Digital, though details of the statement were not included.

Sources