Two men released after Cork cannabis seizure

Gardai recovered 280 cannabis plants at various stages of maturity during a raid on two houses near Kanturk, Co Cork.

Two men have been released without charge after being questioned over the discovery of cannabis worth an estimated €250,000 at two houses in north Cork.

Members of the Kanturk District Drugs Squad found the drugs when they raided two houses in the Lismire area between Kanturk and Newmarket at about8.30am yesterday morning.

Officers recovered 280 cannabis plants at various stages of maturity and about 2kg of harvested cannabis at the operation, which was located in sheds near the two houses.

Gardai described the operation as highly sophisticated with specialist lighting, heating, extractor fans and hydroponic feeding systems installed to cultivate the cannabis.

Detectives arrested a man in his mid-50s and another man in his late 70s at the two houses and brought them to Kanturk Garda station for questioning.

The men were arrested under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardai detain suspects for up to 24 hours but they were both released without charge late last night.

A Garda spokesman said samples from the plants and the harvested cannabis would be sent to the State Laboratory for analysis and a file on the matter would be prepared for the DPP.

Police Mistake Tomato Plants For Marijuana, Destroy Farm

Several residents at the “Garden of Eden” sustainability garden in Arlington, Texas, claim that local police raided their farm because they thought tomato plants were marijuana plants.

The police reportedly damaged the garden's property and the crops during the Aug. 2 raid, which included a SWAT team (video below).

“They came here under the guise that we were doing a drug trafficking, marijuana-growing operation. They destroyed everything,” said garden owner Shellie Smith to WFAA-TV.

Apparently, an undercover officer and a helicopter surveillance crew believed there was probable cause that the wrong kind of plant was being grown in the garden and an armed raid was planned.

“They can’t even tell the difference between tomato plants and a marijuana drug cartel," said farm resident Quinn Eaker to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. "That’s just really bad intel.”

According to the Garden of Eden's website, the raid lasted for an estimated 10 hours.

However, the City of Arlington stated: “No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises. Narcotics detectives and members of the tactical unit cleared the scene within 45 minutes.”

According to reports, police officers removed legally cultivated plants such as blackberries and okra. Police also removed pallets, tires and cardboard that were used for sustainability projects.

Instead of the damage done to the farm, police spokesman Christopher Cook seemed more concerned about the reaction on Facebook against the police.

“That’s what concerns me about their social media allegations," Cook told the Dallas Morning News. "Yes, they were initially handcuffed, however once it was determined it was secure they were taken out of handcuffs. Typically we wouldn’t do that, but they were compliant."

Sources: Dallas Morning News, WFAA-TV, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, IntoTheGardenofEden.com

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2nd DEA Raid on Michigan Medical Marijuana Facilities in Same Week

Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent Rich Isaacson confirms this week’s second raid on a medical marijuana distribution center in southeastern Michigan.

Bazonzoes, located on West Maple Rd in Walled Lake, was served a state-issued search warrant by DEA Agents in association with local law enforcement on August 1. Isaacson refused to provide additional details, stating the DEA “does not comment on ongoing investigations.” He would neither confirm nor deny any relationship between this raid and the search warrant served on July 30.

On that date, Ypsilanti’s The Shop was the target of a similar state-issued warrant. Vehicles were towed away from that location and merchandise was seized. Seizures of boxes, and bags containing marijuana, were also reported by local news agencies. Ypsilanti licenses and regulates six medical marijuana distribution centers and at least one commercial garden. Recent efforts by some Council members to cap the number of facilities at six will culminate in a vote on a proposed ordinance, the second and final reading of which takes place on Thursday the 8th at 7pm.

The Shop will have a hearing on whether to revoke their city-issued license on that same day, Thursday at 9am, Ypsilanti City Hall. The Shop stands accused of smoking and/or using marijuana on the premises based on evidence gathered at the time of the raid. A letter obtained by The Compassion Chronicles shows that city officials Teresa Gillotti and Frank Daniels were present at the time of the raid and witnessed the evidence firsthand. That violates Ypsilanti ordinance law; City Attorney John Barr has requested the revocation of the medical marijuana business license.

Bazonzoes was previously raided in December of 2011. Five pounds of marijuana, two pounds of baked goods and “lip stick containing marijuana” were seized at that time, according to the Oakland Press. Four arrests were made. That raid was conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Enforcement Team following a two week investigation.

In April of 2011 federal agents raided Caregivers of America in Walled Lake. As reported by WWJ Newsradio at the time, Oakland County officials made statements about the nature of distribution centers in Michigan.

Oakland County prosecutor Jessica Cooper said she wants to end confusion surrounding the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. Cooper said under the law, marijuana dispensaries of any kind are illegal in Michigan.

However, attorney Neil Rockind, who represents medical marijuana patients, said that’s absolutely not true.

“It’s very simple. Voters wanted patients to have access to marijuana for medical purposes.  That’s the spirit and intent behind the law. And the law doesn’t prohibit dispensaries,” Rockind said.

There was no official word as to why federal agencies would be executing state-issued search warrants instead of having them executed by their respective county Sheriff’s Departments, but speculation abounds that it is a strategy to make court cases more difficult to defend.

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