jackogpush
Member
Ill share my bust story. Happened 4 months ago in the Bay Area.
I had 2 small warehouse in the same complex. 10 lights in each one. 1st room had about 150 flowering about 3 days from harvest. Second room had about 150 veg, 150 clones, 6 moms.
So the night in question I'm going through my normal routine. Usually spend about 4-6 hours a day tending in the evenings. I finish up, walk outside, lock up and get in my car. 4-5 cop cars roll up behind me lights flashing and I'm thinking to myself....fuck here we go....
They handcuff me, confiscate my cell phone and keys and ask if I will consent to a search. I say "No, let me see a warrant". Cop says "you dont even want to see it". Cop 2 asks for the pass code to my phone. I say no. They load me up and take me to holding cell. Longest 2 hours of my life. I don't know if they are local, if they are feds or what is going on....all I know is in my head im fucked. All my equipment, meds, etc are sure to be confiscated.
My back story is that I am a patient and a member of 4-5 different collectives throughout the bay area. All of my meds go directly to the collectives (never on the street) and I am reimbursed for reasonable expenses by the Collectives. I have 6 or 7 notes posted in my room along with a note from one of the collectives authorizing me to grow for 50 of their patients. This form was provided by my attorney and It was my job to get them signed by the Collective owner/manager. Only one was really down to do it. The rest didn't want to sign anything blah blah.
So after about 2 hours two plain clothes cops come in and get me. He says "if we take you in the other room are you going to talk to us". Im being very polite and respectful and I tell them "I have a lawyer that I pay a bunch of money who has told me not to say anything but I will come and talk to you guys and I dont mean any disrespect but I might not be able to answer all of your questions".
They take me into the room and start grilling me on a bunch of stuff. They tell me I know why im here they show me the search warrent and tell me they have been inside both places. The start telling me that I have too many. Asking who I grow for? Ask who I work with. Ask me how much I think the crop in room 1 is worth, when it will be done (I say 2 weeks) and how much it will produce. I give them my full name and address. I tell them that I am running a medical grow and that I provide for several dispensaries in the area as well as 6-7 individual patients. I do not operate for profit and they will see that because I have no cash (which i truly didn't). I tell them the crop in room 1 is not worth any specific dollar amount and that the medicine belongs to the collectives that I am a member of and grower for. Long story short....they show me the door and tell me that " I know what needs to happen now right?" I say "You want me to shut down right? He says "I cant tell you to do that but we don't want this shit in our neighborhood". The cops were actually pretty cool but in a dickish sort of way if that makes any sense. Good cop bad cop shit I assume.
I hightail it back to my spot to see what it looks like and it was untouched. All the plants were still there and there was a copy of the search warrent on the floor listing everything that was there. Same situation in both rooms.
Next morning I call me Lawyer as I am still freaking out about whats going to happen. He says "congratulations". I say "what do you mean congraulations?!" he says " Well they went in, didnt take anything and didn't arrest you. Its good news....means that you are in compliance".
Next day I harvest everything and as I dont have anywhere to else to dry 150 or so plants I use the warehouse as normal. 2 or 3 days I start processing as fast as I can even though its still very wet. I get through about half of it and exactly 7 days from the day they served the search warrant I head back to pick up some more to process and the doors are kicked in and the rest of what was there was gone. They also confiscated 1 light, 1 ballast, 1 co2 controller. On the floor is a second serach warrant listing what was confiscated. Second room its the same thing. They hacked down all my vegging plants, clones and moms and another search warrent listing what was taken. I was never contacted or picked up a second time. I call my lawyer who was in disbelief. He said he had never seen law enforcement come in and not touch anything just to come back a week later and sieze equipment and medicine and destroy plants.
To this day I still haven't heard a thing from them. I have no idea how they were tipped off (would love to know) but obviously I shut everything down. Put all my equipment in storage and current just figuring out what the next move is.
Just thought I would share this story with anyone else who is out of the Bay Area. Was a total nightmare but for sure could have been worse. I've been driving around with my eyes on the rear view mirror for a month and am still paranoid. Happy to answer any question and would love to hear any comments.
It boggles my mind that in a place like the Bay Area where there is dozens upon dozens of legal dispensaries that the cops are still out fucking with the small to medium size growers. Where do they think think the shit that goes into those places comes from. It ain't Santa Claus that's for sure.
-Jack
I had 2 small warehouse in the same complex. 10 lights in each one. 1st room had about 150 flowering about 3 days from harvest. Second room had about 150 veg, 150 clones, 6 moms.
So the night in question I'm going through my normal routine. Usually spend about 4-6 hours a day tending in the evenings. I finish up, walk outside, lock up and get in my car. 4-5 cop cars roll up behind me lights flashing and I'm thinking to myself....fuck here we go....
They handcuff me, confiscate my cell phone and keys and ask if I will consent to a search. I say "No, let me see a warrant". Cop says "you dont even want to see it". Cop 2 asks for the pass code to my phone. I say no. They load me up and take me to holding cell. Longest 2 hours of my life. I don't know if they are local, if they are feds or what is going on....all I know is in my head im fucked. All my equipment, meds, etc are sure to be confiscated.
My back story is that I am a patient and a member of 4-5 different collectives throughout the bay area. All of my meds go directly to the collectives (never on the street) and I am reimbursed for reasonable expenses by the Collectives. I have 6 or 7 notes posted in my room along with a note from one of the collectives authorizing me to grow for 50 of their patients. This form was provided by my attorney and It was my job to get them signed by the Collective owner/manager. Only one was really down to do it. The rest didn't want to sign anything blah blah.
So after about 2 hours two plain clothes cops come in and get me. He says "if we take you in the other room are you going to talk to us". Im being very polite and respectful and I tell them "I have a lawyer that I pay a bunch of money who has told me not to say anything but I will come and talk to you guys and I dont mean any disrespect but I might not be able to answer all of your questions".
They take me into the room and start grilling me on a bunch of stuff. They tell me I know why im here they show me the search warrent and tell me they have been inside both places. The start telling me that I have too many. Asking who I grow for? Ask who I work with. Ask me how much I think the crop in room 1 is worth, when it will be done (I say 2 weeks) and how much it will produce. I give them my full name and address. I tell them that I am running a medical grow and that I provide for several dispensaries in the area as well as 6-7 individual patients. I do not operate for profit and they will see that because I have no cash (which i truly didn't). I tell them the crop in room 1 is not worth any specific dollar amount and that the medicine belongs to the collectives that I am a member of and grower for. Long story short....they show me the door and tell me that " I know what needs to happen now right?" I say "You want me to shut down right? He says "I cant tell you to do that but we don't want this shit in our neighborhood". The cops were actually pretty cool but in a dickish sort of way if that makes any sense. Good cop bad cop shit I assume.
I hightail it back to my spot to see what it looks like and it was untouched. All the plants were still there and there was a copy of the search warrent on the floor listing everything that was there. Same situation in both rooms.
Next morning I call me Lawyer as I am still freaking out about whats going to happen. He says "congratulations". I say "what do you mean congraulations?!" he says " Well they went in, didnt take anything and didn't arrest you. Its good news....means that you are in compliance".
Next day I harvest everything and as I dont have anywhere to else to dry 150 or so plants I use the warehouse as normal. 2 or 3 days I start processing as fast as I can even though its still very wet. I get through about half of it and exactly 7 days from the day they served the search warrant I head back to pick up some more to process and the doors are kicked in and the rest of what was there was gone. They also confiscated 1 light, 1 ballast, 1 co2 controller. On the floor is a second serach warrant listing what was confiscated. Second room its the same thing. They hacked down all my vegging plants, clones and moms and another search warrent listing what was taken. I was never contacted or picked up a second time. I call my lawyer who was in disbelief. He said he had never seen law enforcement come in and not touch anything just to come back a week later and sieze equipment and medicine and destroy plants.
To this day I still haven't heard a thing from them. I have no idea how they were tipped off (would love to know) but obviously I shut everything down. Put all my equipment in storage and current just figuring out what the next move is.
Just thought I would share this story with anyone else who is out of the Bay Area. Was a total nightmare but for sure could have been worse. I've been driving around with my eyes on the rear view mirror for a month and am still paranoid. Happy to answer any question and would love to hear any comments.
It boggles my mind that in a place like the Bay Area where there is dozens upon dozens of legal dispensaries that the cops are still out fucking with the small to medium size growers. Where do they think think the shit that goes into those places comes from. It ain't Santa Claus that's for sure.
-Jack
