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Busted in The Bay Area - My Story

Not having cash is good. Not that they actually looked for it as they would have to look in your home. The fact that they never did search your home means that they knew their case was not so good from the onset.

I should add that I think they planned to search my old apartment (cant remember if the address was on the search warrant off hand) but once they found out I didn't live there I dont suppose it would be legal to search it. Might have been too time consuming to obtain a new warrant with my new address.

Jack
 
D

Duplicate

If the police are dirty it could cause some serious consequences for Cali. The feds will come in hard saying that the federally illegal substance has caused the corruption of local law enforcement. This could very well play into the anti-marijuana establishment's hands either way.

I don't think so. The only reason there is enough money in cannabis to corrupt police is because it's illegal. You don't see cops going corrupt over Coors do you?
 

!!!

Now in technicolor
Veteran
I don't think so. The only reason there is enough money in cannabis to corrupt police is because it's illegal. You don't see cops going corrupt over Coors do you?

You're correct but would the DEA see it this way? I think Tilt is right in that this can act as an excuse for the feds to come in and act as a mommy figure in Cali, for the good of the state no less.
 
R

Rabbi Reefer

Sounds like the cops are playing dirty, give the story to a good reporter...let the newspaper expose these crooked fucks with badges.
 
D

Duplicate

I think dirty LEO would keep it on the low low. Even if something did pop up it would be up to the local Internal Affairs department to take care of it, not the DEA.

I'm sure they wouldn't have too much trouble keeping their corrupt selves out of the news.
 

Yes4Prop215

Active member
Veteran
I know a crew of folks. They have 160 feet by 40 ft of growing space. They have about 2000 plants or more at least. The cops have been there, and never been back since. That's in Oakland. All depends on how you handle yourself.

sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.....multiple partners, in the 1000s of numbers = fed time, cops already seen the grow just collecting evidence for a case.......allll bad.

now if you are leaving out the part about one of the kids being a local DA's son and the other being the son of a local DEA agent....well then maybe thats how the game goes...
 

Yes4Prop215

Active member
Veteran
My lawyer think thay took one light, one ballast etc just so that could have evidence if they wanted to charge me. He also feels like what happened is they went in gathered evidence, took pictures, and tried to talk to me so they would have something to bring to the DA. He thinks that once the DA reviewed all the evidence that he must have told them that he wouldn't want to bring charges based on what they had. At that point the cops do what they do best and just disrupt my grow by kicking in the door and chopping everything down and scaring the shit out of me.

Who knows but its a lesson to anyone out there to MAKE SURE you have your paperwork in order and don't have large amounts of cash anywhere near you. In my opinion its the only thing that saved me.

Still wish I could find out how they were tipped off and how they got probable cause for the warrant etc

Jack



thats what i think too...DA told them no dice after the first raid. you kept your mouth shut and didnt admit to selling any pounds or having any cash. they realized they didnt have sticky charges so they got another warrant to "look for more evidence" but it was really just to sabatoge your grow...


either way..i would not set up big shop again. maybe just run 5 lights and keep your limits under 99 to play it safe..although i know guys busted for 20 lights still running 20 lights in the same location lol, i dont know how they sleep at night.
 

SKAGITMAGIC

Member
nothings changed, but everything

nothings changed, but everything

I got busted in san Leandro for indoor cultivation,17 scranny assed sitivas, front page in the morning news and mentioned in the tribune,they never let up on me, rousted 3 times a week. I left in 75 and never looked back, march 30 will be the 45th aniversary of the bust, I still keep the article for some reason, good luck to ya brother,It coulda went so differently,
 

David762

Member
That is seriously FUBAR, JackOGPush.

I have no doubt that you were State-legal regarding your MMJ collective. You didn't get busted, because the LEO's knew that you were legit. This is a case of local LEO's taking the Law into their own hands as they see fit, regardless of what is State-legal. Unless you fight back with a civil lawsuit against these fascist piggies and the judge that signed that 2nd search warrant, you will have let local LEO's re-write State laws -- hardly a democratic process. What right does a double handful of LEO's have to negate State law?

If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, quacks like a duck -- it's probably a duck. The same holds true for fascism. The more that I hear and read about what local LEOs and their friends the politicians are doing to abridge citizens rights, the more certain I am that a concerted organized effort at jury nullification, voting out corrupt politicians, & hurting them with a deluge of civil lawsuits taking away all their money is called for -- either that, or revolution ... :ying:

Good luck, and may you find success in your future endeavors.

:tiphat:
 

growshopfrank

Well-known member
Veteran
I know a crew of folks. They have 160 feet by 40 ft of growing space. They have about 2000 plants or more at least. The cops have been there, and never been back since. That's in Oakland. All depends on how you handle yourself.

there is a message in here somewhere....
 
there is a message in here somewhere....

There were a couple break-in attempts. The cops showed up. They called them I think. Or had to arrive there to deal with the fact that the cops showed up due to the break in. Not sure of the details. Also, to protect my friends, I would not want to say much else. But they have not been back, it's been over 4 months, at least. They had scripts for all their patients. A collective in Oakland can only be 3 members and a total of 210 plants, so i'm not sure how they got away with it. The cops may have just been thinking everything was okay, and the guys played it off, like they were doing nothing wrong, and to the best of my knowledge, probably thought they were completely legal. Maybe they don't enforce that particular part of everything, so much, if you are in order, or possibly, they will come back one day. But they have had months to break shit down, and they did not.
 
B

BrnCow

When you guys speak of a warehouse, are you speaking of something located in the middle of an industrial park? I cannot find the logic of pigs harassing you if you are in an industrial park area. If you are in some other area, move to the inside area of a big industrial park and keep movement into and out of that place to a minimum and take the shortest path in and out you can. Some of those areas have their own security working it with an occasional real pig. Should be real easy to time them out for a few days and miss them also. Might want one you can park the vehicle in also with a remote operated door and dimmed lighting inside.That's the way they do it on tv...
 
B

BrnCow

Hours of daylight business are from 6 am. until 6 pm. Might help to make visits to the warehouse during those hours also.
 

Yes4Prop215

Active member
Veteran
There were a couple break-in attempts. The cops showed up. They called them I think. Or had to arrive there to deal with the fact that the cops showed up due to the break in. Not sure of the details. Also, to protect my friends, I would not want to say much else. But they have not been back, it's been over 4 months, at least. They had scripts for all their patients. A collective in Oakland can only be 3 members and a total of 210 plants, so i'm not sure how they got away with it. The cops may have just been thinking everything was okay, and the guys played it off, like they were doing nothing wrong, and to the best of my knowledge, probably thought they were completely legal. Maybe they don't enforce that particular part of everything, so much, if you are in order, or possibly, they will come back one day. But they have had months to break shit down, and they did not.

thats pretty amazing....theres no way in hell you can run 2000 plants and it be legal unless its richard lee or HHCs personal private warehouse or something... only way is in CO and they have special permits for making edibles only and have strict visits from local LEO...

Oakland cops just have bigger shit to deal with usually, who cares about pot busts when you have gang wars......im surprised the Feds didnt peek some interest with the 2000 plants though, maybe they were too busy with the money laundering cases lately at the casinos....

check out Norml.org....some people who claimed to be legal, run collectives in the bay area, run warehouses to supply the co-op....got up to 20 years in prison not for marijuana cultivation but criminal conspiracy....everyone out here thinks "i can grow 99 plants per script and everything is gonna be peachy!"

people who think growing is a cakewalk might soon have a wake up call....precisely why i have never operated under the "legal" openess out here, all that state legal paperwork is basically evidence in federal court that can convict you...
 

designer

Member
Reading what goes on in California is absolutely insane to other states. I am in a med state, Washington, and I am still amazed what goes on down there. I think keeping up with California is the biggest reason I come to this site. I really think it is the Marijuana Mecco of the world.
 

primeform

Active member
Wow man, just count yourself LUCKY. The worse thing you could deal with are CHARGES. If all they did was take some of your crap and tell you to leave good deal. Take all your shit and high tail it the fuk out of dodge city. Take your shit and start your life somewhere else and dont tell ANYONE you know where your going.

Prime

P.S. Definitely dont contact the police again. Leave it alone, you can only stir the pot and actually get yourself in trouble.
 

DasFox

Member
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".
WAAAAAAY too much yik-yak...

Say NOTHING except "I want my counsel"...

THANKS
 

Norkali

Active member
Fuck, I agree with Prop215 on just about everything....

had some similar shit months ago, albeit much smaller, - it was still a fucking trip. Narcs cased my block for weeks after, followed and all - fucked up shit - never truly knew "grower's paranoia" until then/now. Thing is, I'm compliant as fuck - visited a high powered MMJ lawyer and said lawyer told me that I would have a solid, no problem case if anything was pressed, but doubted that would happen and also said that the feds would have very little/no interest in it......

Still shitty committee though, going to bed wondering if tomorrow is gonna be the day they decide to come back.....

Fuck.

Hey to everybody, but ICmag is nothing but an anxiety producer for me right now - will most likely remain low key indefinitely.

And I agree with prime - fuck making any noise about it - sounds like a good way to get the feds involved. Remember the story of that guy who got reamed by the DEA in Colorado by giving the local news a tour of his grow? Fuck that.
 

sneakinman13

Active member
Veteran
lately , nothing suprizes me as far as what the cop will do out there in n cal. they just take whatever the fuck they want. shit is redic... sorry for your loss bud!
 
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