60 Days in the Clink.....

[johndoe123]

Long story short got busted growing 4 plants. Lights were on bout a week left to go. LEO cut plants at base gave me a class x felony charge- 10000 lawyer expenses, 5000 bail 40,000 in assets seized. Ended up pleading to Class A misdemeanor forfeit assets and 60 days in the clink.... Lesson learned? Hell NO!!!! Law Enforcement missed my seed stash in the fridge and the freezer! The day I got bailed out I put seeds in the ground for last years outdoor. Now in a med state and i just gotta go back and do my time. The only lesson I learned is plant number is not a safety net.... If it were not for my lawyer and assets I would of been going to the big house for sure....

 

[aridbud]

Sorry to read of your experience. It almost sounds like someone ratted. FOUR plants??? There's much bigger fish to fry. It must seem like laws stand still....but they are changing, ever so slowly. Just not fast enough in your case, which is sad.

Good you moved to another state. And 60 days....what a count down. (shaking my head).

BETTER karma ahead.

 

[tokersmoke]

Johndoe ive been there and done that so i feel you.If i could move to a med state or rec state id leave right this second for this exact reason.Ive had two cultivation charges,pwid mj and 3 possesion charges.Figure i would stop.But its hard.Im not a drug dealer.How did the fuzz catch on?what can we learn?

 

[Mr_Mojo_Risin']

It's such a waste of resources in these hard economic times. Locking people up is expensive when you consider LEO, courts, judges and jail expenses. Just legalize it, tax it (if they must) and turn a major expense into an asset. This entire situation is all about politics. These lawmakers vote against legalization and go home and drink 6 martinis. There are dangerous drugs out there being abused by millions of people that do major damage to organs in the body. When my MS pain flares up (daily) I don't take opiates (which are legal???). I just blaze up my trusty pipe or eat a cookie or two. These stories really hit a nerve with me because I live near Detroit, where gambling is legal and very harmful to peoples lives. And street drugs? They are everywhere. OK, rant over! : )

 

[RoadRash]

Im not a drug dealer.How did the fuzz catch on?what can we learn?

There's nothing wrong with being a drug dealer.


I once saw 2 Pfizer salesmen sitting down at the local Internet cafe, planning out how to wheedle maximum revenues from the local retired folks and their doctors.

What you were growing - Cannabis - is far healthier than what is sold by the 2 corporate drug dealers I overheard at the Internet cafe.

Be Proud that you Grow Cannabis.

And if you sell it for a reasonable price to medical patients and recreational users - More Power to You.

 

[johndoe123]

Thanks for the support guys and I was ratted on by the power company. It was a 5k barebulb setup and they came in like the god damn mafia tearing everything up looking for cash. I worked in a steelmill for years and had lawfully bought all my assets seized. The house was equipped with a smart meter and one of the employees at the local power co-op turned me in.... The power company is not even municipally owned. Guess they got a bonus for turning me in. I was growing for my wife and I. She has epilepsy and I have chronic pain from years in the mill. My wife was so freaked out over the whole deal she took our son down to her parents in Florida. Thanks to all that "Protect and Serve" you broke up my family and took everything that I have worked 10yrs for..... Law in my old state was 4 plants or under was a class "A" misdemeanor which after everything is what I plead too. Anyone that says that is too much power, it was a 5 bedroom house with 2 outbuildings on acreage.

 

[diggdugg]

Holy SHIT man!! The co-op turned you in? Did they get a warrant on that alone? Texas?

 

[RonSmooth]

5K for 4 plants? Do you only grow 4 plants or were there just 4 plants at the time of the raid? How much dried material?

That is a pretty shitty deal you got. Did you have guns in the house? lots of cash? packaging materials? other paraphernalia? Did they work an intent to distribute charge in there?

How do you know the power company alerted police?

Even if they did, high power consumption doesn't necessarily mean anything illegal is going on. They must have had more for a warrant.

Sorry for your troubles. 60 days isnt bad and at least you dont get a felony on your record.

 

[johndoe123]

Illinois, and they did a flyover and seen my exhaust exiting the roof and deemed that the garage did not have a furnace or wood burner in it. The garage was built into the hillside was framed and insulated with a ceiling and everything was covered in reflectix

 

[johndoe123]

5K for 4 plants? Do you only grow 4 plants or were there just 4 plants at the time of the raid? How much dried material?

That is a pretty shitty deal you got. Did you have guns in the house? lots of cash? packaging materials? other paraphernalia? Did they work an intent to distribute charge in there?

How do you know the power company alerted police?

Even if they did, high power consumption doesn't necessarily mean anything illegal is going on. They must have had more for a warrant.

Sorry for your troubles. 60 days isnt bad and at least you dont get a felony on your record.

My lawyer got the papers for the original complaint that the power company filed. No guns, no cash and the op was winding down as i had already made the plan to leave for safer waters so there was a veg area set up and a few rootballs but only 4 plants. there was maybe a qp of usable smoke

 

[norcal_sourD]

What the FUCK?! Holy shit what a fubar'd situation! Hope things get better in due time man.

 

[Piff Rhys Jones]

Johndoe ive been there and done that so i feel you.If i could move to a med state or rec state id leave right this second for this exact reason.Ive had two cultivation charges,pwid mj and 3 possesion charges.Figure i would stop.But its hard.Im not a drug dealer.How did the fuzz catch on?what can we learn?

Sorry to hijack your thread John. Sounds strange that the power company would make a complaint re: 5KW. Surely that's a few pool heaters etc?

Toker you sound like you're from the UK from the charges. Can I ask how you got caught growing three times?

Peace

 

[johndoe123]

Sorry to hijack your thread John. Sounds strange that the power company would make a complaint re: 5KW. Surely that's a few pool heaters etc?

Toker you sound like you're from the UK from the charges. Can I ask how you got caught growing three times?

Peace

All i am doing is putting it out there believe what you want.... Maybe you missed the fact the the house had a SMART METER...

 

[tokersmoke]

I cannot believe that they used the power company or a flyover.You could be growing tomato's.I bet there was more going on evidence wise.

My last charge was in a rented house,While away on vacation the landlord entered my home and found the plants.On his statement he said he saw the plants through a window.The window had shades and black panda with no light leak.When the police came i was away.I came home to a warrant with everything gone.I called my guy and had it squashed before i showed my face at the sheriffs department.No bail,No charges no fine.

They cannot kick the door in on infared or power consumption.something more happend.Thats why you only got 60 days.If they had hard fast easy evidence they would have burned you and made no deal.They obviously were watching if they did get a complaint from power company then they watched the property for some time.

Generally if you pay the bill they wont complain.I cant imagine why a company would complain youre are spending money.Just my 2c

 

[tokersmoke]

Only been popped twice for growing.Once for pwid,three simple possesion.Mostly beetween the ages of 17to 25 ive been good for awhile and have moved from my home city.Im not from the uk.interesting you would think im from the uk.

Im not proud either but im a father of three and being productive.I have never stopped growing regardless and do not view it as wrong..

 

[johndoe123]

Never missed a payment with the electricity never even late. Thats what I thought... I owned the house so no landlord. The power company is small and handles maybe 10,000 rural customers throughout the county. Small towns and growing dont mix.... I have been growing since 2005 I'm sure they had a clue but nothing solid..... Fuckers were expecting a lot more than 4 plants though hahaha! I already served 9 days so only another 51 to go....

 

[Piff Rhys Jones]

All i am doing is putting it out there believe what you want.... Maybe you missed the fact the the house had a SMART METER...

Sorry to be ignorant as I'm not from US. How would a smart meter be more likely to incriminate you?

Peace

 

[diggdugg]

Dang John, I am pretty much living with the same type situation, co-op and all. Just got smart meters last year too. I researched those things a little and some of them are just acurate usage meters, others can identify on/off periods for anything pulling juice. Some can actually turn appliances on or off if the appliances are "smart" as well. I had never really heard of one actually being used to watch for say 12/12 cycle and then a bust. Well I'm kinda freaked now!

 

[DHF]

Sorry to be ignorant as I'm not from US. How would a smart meter be more likely to incriminate you?

Peace

Smart meters log EVERY power surge and drop off 24/7/365 and monitor power usage to the minute IF they choose to do so , and believe me in "illegal states" grow ops are busted on a regular basis due to idiot kids thinking they can get away with blastin buncha wattage in a basement without LEO catchin any "FLIR" with a WHOLE house sittin on top of the grow areas...plus....

If you`re using waaaay more power than your neighbors in the surrounding neighborhood with NO visible reasons for doing so , those smart meters send up a red flag , and it`s up to the power companies to determine where the increased usage originates from.....IOW....

They`ll send out a letter asking why your home`s using way more than the surrounding neighbors in the exact same sized homes , and if you don`t respond with a phone call , then they`ll send out a representative to check the meter and see if it`s functioning properly AND knock on your door and ask for a physical inspection to determine if there`s a problem inside the house CAUSING said increased usage....and then....

If you don`t go to the door OR respond to the notice about said increased usage on your door , that opens up the can of worms and it gets sent to local LEO as a possible "grow op" , and THEN it`s "FLIR" time , and round my parts they do drive by`s AND flyovers to determine the areas where the most heat signature comes from , and then you`re fucked cuz it`s only a matter of time and a "probable cause" warrant gets signed by a judge with the quickness.....

Smart meters were employed where I grew 10 yrs before I retired , but I knew it was coming and back then it was told on all the weedsites that by running perpetual flip rooms , as 1 room shuts off , the other rooms lights turns on with all but no power surges and or red flags being thrown up since LEO knows ALL about the 12/12 cycle in indoor grow ops....so...

How`d I get around it ?....Never grew where I lived , and only used a total of 1800 watts continuous/3600 total every 12/12 , plus maybe another 200 for all other environmental equipment , and actually used a lot less than most of the other surrounding homes , plus once the ball was rolling knocked out 50-60 lbs per yr outta each location with little to no effort....and JD...

Bro....I NEVER knew you got popped , lost your family , and THEN moved to medville , so a VERY belated I`m sooooo fuckin sorry.....Fuckin LEO......

Forfeiture and asset seizures run rampant east of the Mississippi guys , so please grow your dope in a rental and keep all assets hidden for your own well-being.....

Peace....DHF...........

 

[fishwhistle]

Sorry to hear this JD but like toker i dont buy the flyover or power consumption either,definitely more to the story.